Element 3 Top-Up Funding for SEND

About Element 3 funding

Element 3 top-up funding is available to schools to support with the delivery of an EHCP. It is paid by the local authority and must reflect the costs of the additional support needed to meet the individual pupil or student's provision set out in their EHCP.

The funding is:

• only to deliver provision that you cannot fund within your notional SEN funding
• what is required, over and above the core funding you receive, to allow a pupil or student with high needs to participate in mainstream education and learning
• only for interventions listed in section F of the plan
• for children with the highest needs - not every child with an EHCP will need element 3 funding. 

Before any funding is awarded, we need to see evidence of what you have already spent, or intended to spend, from your notional funding.

Applying for element 3 funding

When to apply for element 3 funding

You should apply for funding:

• when a plan is finalised naming your setting
• at the end of the current agreed funding. This will usually be at the end of a key stage. You do not need to reapply annually unless there is a substantive change in provision required and in this case it must be preceded by an annual review. You will find the end date of your current agreed funding on your payment remittance issued every 4 weeks.

Do not submit an E3 request:

• when the plan is at draft as part of a consultation - the provision has not been finalised at this point and it will not be possible to consider a request until a plan is in place. If you identify additional funding is needed as part of the consultation process, you should note this in your response and will be able to formally request funding when the plan is finalised.
• during the life of the plan if a review meeting has not been held. If you require additional funding, it would indicate either the child's needs have changed, or your schools ability to meet those needs has changed. In either case this should always trigger a review of the plan.

How to apply

We are no longer accepting any paper/email requests.

Apply for element 3 funding

1. Complete the application form. If you create an online account, you will be able to log in to keep track of all of your requests and won't need to compete all of your personal details on each form.
2. When you submit your request, you will receive an email notification with a PDF copy of your form submission for your records.
3. Your linked EHCP Officer will review the form. We will do our best to look at this request within 10 working days.
4. Your EHCP Officer will make a recommendation on the funding amount to a Senior Inclusion Manager. The manager will make the final decision on the amount to be paid.
5. Once funding has been authorised, an email notification will be sent to you.

Receiving your Element 3 Funding

• Funding is paid 4 weekly
• The amount we pay is calculated based on a weekly equivalent payment amount. The weekly payment amount equates to the total award amount agreed, divided by 52, (or by the number of weeks this covers if it is awarded for a shorter period). For example, a payment award of £5,200 would equate to £100 per week, therefore the 4 weekly payment would total £400
• We will award funding for an ongoing period. You will no longer have to reapply annually. You will only need to reapply at the end of a key stage or if the provision in the EHC plan is substantively changed meaning that you either need less or more funding to deliver the outcomes in the plan. Funding will automatically continue until the end of the key stage or when the child leaves the setting if this is sooner.
• One off funding may also be available in certain circumstances
• Funding cannot be paid for periods when a final plan is not in place, for example if a plan remains at draft for a prolonged period as part of the assessment process

*payments likely to be brought forward due to financial close down periods. Revised dates to be confirmed and circulated in advance.

Payments will be processed the week before the payemnt date. This means that if you have not received notification of an E3 payment before that date it will not appear on your next payment schedule.

If any overpayments are made, these will normally be recovered from the next payment, and this will be reflected on the remittance.

Help and support

• Example of an authorised E3 request
• Remittance example for 4 weekly payments
• For support with the annual review process and understanding the provision set out in the EHCP, please speak with your linked EHCP Officer. For queries around funding schedules please email our dedicated  EHCP.Funding@derby.gov.uk mailbox.
• Example of an authorised E3 request
• For help with provision mapping or understanding how to implement strategies, speak to DerbySAL
• If you don't understand your whole school SEND budget you can speak to the School Finance team: SchoolFinanceTeam@derby.gov.uk.