Top Up High Needs Funding (HNF)
If a school needs more than £6,000 for a child's SEN provision, they will receive Top Up High Needs Funding (HNF). This is a system of funding for mainstream schools and early years settings in Hertfordshire. It is additional funding allocated to the school by the local authority, on top of the core funding a school receives, and the additional support funding. It is provided to schools to ensure they include and provide support for children and young people with significant needs in mainstream schools and settings - in Hertfordshire, the amount of HNF a school receives is worked out according to a child or young person's EHCP.
The level of need described in your child or young person's EHCP is used to help identify the amount of top-up funding required, in order for the school or early years setting to be able to deliver the specified provision in the EHCP. A school will not receive additional top-up funding for all of its children with an EHCP. For example, if the level in your child's EHCP is 'universal', 'universal plus' or 'targeted', the school will be expected to cover the costs of support from their existing budget. The idea is that the highest levels of top-up funding are provided to schools to support children with the highest levels of needs. You can read more about levels of need and associated funding in the Handbook.
Additional funding for pupils awaiting a special school place
Where a special school place has been agreed as part of the statutory assessment, but provision is not available, the pupil will need to remain in the mainstream school until provision is available. Additional funding is available for mainstream schools who are supporting pupils who have had a specialist place agreed at provision panel, and where the pupil has remained in the mainstream setting for three terms following the decision to agree a place. To be eligible for this funding:
- the pupil must have a special school agreed at a provision panel, with the start date unknown at the beginning of the term following the panel
- the pupil must be of statutory school age (pupils who are in years 6 or 11 when the place is agreed are not eligible)
- the level in the pupil's EHCP must be 'targeted plus' or above
- the pupil must not attend, or be dual-registered at an ESC/base or unit
- the pupil must be attending the school full time, or working towards full time attendance
For those eligible, £2,000 termly will be made available to the pupil’s mainstream school until the term they leave (unless they are in the final term of year 6 or 11 and moving to a different school or college).
Focused Intervention Funding (FIF)
Focused Intervention Funding (FIF) has been in place since 1 April 2026. It replaces Local High Needs Funding (LHNF). FIF is a non-statutory, discretionary funding system designed to support children and young people to make progress in a mainstream setting, without the need for an EHCP.
It is used for time-limited interventions and provision which go beyond Ordinarily Available Provision and reasonable adjustments.
Whilst the majority of the budget is for the above, there are also 3 additional strands:
- Early Years Enhanced Provision Funding for children with complex needs,
- Children arriving in Reception with complex needs who have not been previously known to professionals,
- Children and young people who have life-changing medical needs and children and young people with complex needs who who are new to the country.
There is also an allocation to children transitioning from Early Years to Reception who have been receiving Early Years T2 funding.
FIF is administered within the 9 DSPL areas although funding is paid out centrally into schools' budgets. Applications will initially be discussed in local SENCo clusters and then ratified by a panel chaired by the DSPL manager.
Additional Targeted Funding (ATF)
Some mainstream schools have higher than expected numbers of children with Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Each year these schools get additional targeted funding from the local authority to help them meet the cost of the provision for the children in their school with EHCPs which are levelled at Specialist or Specialist+. This funding is in addition to the individual HNF.
The threshold for receiving ATF is reviewed every year. It is based on the number of children on roll in a school, and the number of children in the school with an EHCP. For example, if a school has 70 pupils, the threshold for receiving ATF might be 2 pupils with an EHCP. This means that the school will be expected to cover the first £6,000 of SEN funding for 2 pupils, but for every additional pupil over this threshold, the school will receive an additional £5,000 to meet the cost of SEN provision. The ATF will form part of the school's overall SEN budget, and is not allocated to individual children.
Colleges and Further Education
SEN funding for colleges and further education settings works in a slightly different way. Colleges receive a certain amount of money per pupil, for young people aged 16-19 - according to the national funding formula. They will also receive an additional £6,000 from the local authority for young people with identified SEND (in most cases this will be young people with an EHCP).
Nurseries and Early Years Settings
Nurseries and Early Years Settings get money according to the number of children they have. They can also apply for other funding to help support the emerging needs of the children at their setting - such as Early Years Inclusion Funding, or the Disability Access Fund. For young children with an EHCP, settings will also receive Top Up High Needs Funding. For those without an EHCP and with emerging needs, the setting may be eligible for Local High Needs Funding (see above for more information).