Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to schools for supporting children with learning difficulties in (a) Mid Sussex constituency and (b) West Sussex in each of the last three years.

Funding for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) is allocated to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant, which includes both funding to be delegated to mainstream schools, and funding for the additional costs associated with educating children and young people with high needs.

Schools are funded through a formula set by their local authority, and local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEN up to £6,000 per annum. It is for individual schools to decide how they allocate their overall budget to ensure they meet the specific needs of children with learning difficulties.

For those pupils whose additional support costs more than £6,000 the local authority pays top-up funding to the schools from their high needs budget. Top-up funding rates are for local authorities to agree with their schools.

West Sussex County Council’s high needs allocation, within the dedicated schools grant, in each of the last three years was as follows:

• 2013-14 – £67.69m

• 2014-15 – £70.53m

• 2015-16 – £71.64m

We do not hold information on the total funding allocated by West Sussex County Council for supporting children with learning difficulties to schools in the Mid Sussex constituency or in the West Sussex county area.