Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the criteria used to determine the level of need in the allocation of high needs funding.

High needs funding allocations for individual pupils is determined by local authorities in consultation with their schools and families. In most cases, high needs funding will be allocated following a statutory education, health and care needs assessment.

Following extensive consultation, the high needs national funding formula allocates funding to local authorities through a set of proxy factors. Further information on these factors can be found in the consultation document at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/high-needs-funding-reform-2/.