The Department for Education<\/a> has not published a full breakdown of school-level allocations, but has issued a spreadsheet calculator allowing leaders to see their setting\u2019s 2026-27 provisional allocation.<\/p>\n Schools Week<\/em>\u00a0entered the unique reference numbers of more than 19,800 schools into this calculator to compile a list of draft allocations covering ages 5 to 16 and worth a combined \u00a3384 million.<\/p>\n Our analysis combined this data with DfE figures on school demographics and finances from 2024-25, the most recent figures available.<\/p>\n Matt Keer, a SEND expert at Special Needs Jungle, said the \u201cborderline homeopathic levels\u201d of IMF funding would not be enough to prepare mainstream schools before other SEND reforms kicked in at the end of this decade.<\/p>\n “Mainstream schools have never been so stretched financially. The SEND reforms will ask mainstream schools to do much, much more.”<\/p>\n Crow Lane Primary and Foundation Stage School in Milnsbridge, West Yorkshire, is set to receive \u00a311,200. It currently has 188 pupils, marginally lower than the 192 it had in 2024-25.<\/p>\n Martin Vayro, its head, said extra funding was \u201calways welcome\u201d but \u201cthe harsh reality \u2026 is that the \u00a311,000 last-minute injection \u2026 merely served to enable us to set a balanced budget by the tightest of margins\u201d.<\/p>\n Combining the IMF figures with school finance data gives context to the size of the provisional allocations.<\/p>\n On average, the allocations amount to 1.6 per cent of primary schools\u2019 spending on teaching staff in 2024-25. This falls to 1.2 per cent when other education staff, such as teaching assistants, are factored in.<\/p>\n They were worth 0.7 per cent of primary schools\u2019 total income on average in 2024-25, and 0.8 per cent of their total spending<\/p>\n For secondary schools these figures sit at 1.1 per cent of spend on teaching staff budgets, and 0.9 per cent of spending on all education-related staff.<\/p>\n Draft allocations on average equate to 0.6 per cent of both secondary schools\u2019 total income and total spending.<\/p>\n Rugby Free Secondary School in Warwickshire is in line for \u00a353,800 in IMF funding in the first year.<\/p>\n This amounts to just 0.6 per cent of both the school\u2019s\u00a0total income and total spending in 2024-25, and 0.9 per cent of its spending on education-related staff that year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not enough \u2026 and I’m pretty sure you won’t get a school leader in the land that says that it is enough,\u201d said Iain Green, the school\u2019s head.<\/p>\n Green wants to increase the school\u2019s capacity to meet the needs of the rising numbers of children who join the school who are not educationally, emotionally, or socially fully ready for secondary school.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the ways we want to [spend] that is around making sure that pupils have those strong foundations in years 7 and 8 in particular, and then we’re catching pupils up that may have had different experiences in primary schools.\u201d<\/p>\n He wants to hire teaching staff for English and maths and to offer pastoral interventions. But he laughs when asked how far the \u00a353,800 will stretch.<\/p>\n \u201cNot very. It’s a nice start. And any money in education is welcome. I have a note of caution that this particular pot, which has been heavily politicised, is not the silver bullet that I think people are hoping that it will be.\u201d<\/p>\n The allocation could fund one extra teacher, plus a bit left over for other interventions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s enough to put your front door on your house, in the short term, not necessarily build the rest around it and extend it.\u201d<\/p>\n The 1,000 pupil Tytherington School in Cheshire is set to receive \u00a361,800.<\/p>\n Manny Botwe, its head, said: \u201cThere will be some people who have heard the news, and they’ll be perhaps thinking, \u2018oh, that means that in my school we’re going to have additional TAs or\u00a0additional teachers, or we\u2019re going to have smaller classrooms\u2019. That sadly will not be the case.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our big challenges at the moment is getting youngsters with complex mental health and SEND needs through the door. So we will probably prioritise in that area. How do we get those youngsters to re-engage fully in school?\u201d<\/p>\n The government\u2019s SEND consultation said in the long run, schools will pool some of their IMF allocation to create a collaborative system to meet needs and share expertise and resources.<\/p>\n Botwe believes this will happen, with schools in the same trust or area trying to be creative in terms of providing staff from their pooled resources.<\/p>\n \u201cLet’s say we’ve got a young person or group of young people who are not attending school, and they’re citing a special educational need or a mental health issue as the reason why they’re not accessing school.<\/p>\n \u201cCould we be working together with the school down the road if we’ve got a similar cohort of youngsters, in terms of a joint facility or a joint appointment?\u201d<\/p>\n The IMF funding is calculated based on several factors. Each school receives a lump sum of \u00a33,000.<\/p>\n Primary schools then receive \u00a316 per pupil and \u00a379 for pupils with low prior attainment (LPA).<\/p>\n Secondary schools will be given \u00a314 per pupil up to age 16 and \u00a388 per pupil with LPA.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n New ‘inclusion strategies’: What schools need to know<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe data shows…<\/h2>\n
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![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Matt-Keer-inset-500px.jpg\")
Draft allocations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘It’s not enough’<\/h2>\n
Tarnished silver bullet<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Schools will pool allocations<\/h2>\n
How it\u2019s calculated<\/strong><\/h2>\n