Start by reframing the ask
Frame it as the board’s own legal duty, not a favour: governing boards must be satisfied SEN funding is allocated and spent effectively (DfE, 2025), so bring them the school’s SEN profile and spend-versus-impact data. The current DfE guidance for governing boards (updated February 2025) says the board should know how SEN funding is spent, whether it is targeted strategically against the school’s SEN profile, and whether it is improving pupil progress. So the SENCO’s job is not to plead for money; it is to give the board the evidence it already needs to discharge that monitoring duty under Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
The first action: bring data, not a plea
Put one paper in front of the resources committee that maps the board’s legal duty to the evidence you can supply against it. This turns a budget argument into a governance one:
| What the board must be satisfied of | Evidence the SENCO puts in front of it |
|---|---|
| Funding is targeted against the SEN profile | Pupil numbers by need, plus the current SEN register trend |
| It knows how the money is spent | Notional SEN budget allocated versus actually spent on SEN support |
| Spend is improving progress | Outcomes and progress data for SEN pupils against the intervention cost |
| Money owed is being claimed | Pupils whose need exceeds £6,000 where high-needs top-up is due from the council |
The second action: show where the money already sits
Most “making the case” advice misses the mechanics that actually move money. Each mainstream school gets an indicative notional SEN budget inside its delegated budget, meant to cover up to £6,000 per pupil per year of additional SEN support (DfE notional SEN budget guidance 2025 to 2026). Show the board where that notional budget and the mandatory first £6,000 per pupil are being absorbed — and, crucially, where a pupil’s need costs more than £6,000, because that is where high-needs top-up funding should be claimed from the local authority rather than swallowed by the school (DfE high needs operational guide 2025 to 2026).
The escalation route and the reform lens
If the board wants to treat SEND as the cuttable line, the SEND link governor’s role is to challenge senior leaders with the duty data above, and to confirm top-up the school is owed is actually being recovered from the council. Frame increased investment as future-proofing, not a one-off cost: the 2026 Schools White Paper signals roughly £7bn more for SEND by 2028–29, an inclusive mainstream fund, and statutory Individual Support Plans. No structural funding change lands before September 2030, so this year’s decision still runs on the notional-budget and top-up rules above.
Where the law comes from
- DfE: SEN and disability guidance for school governing boards (updated 3 February 2025)
- DfE: The notional SEN budget for mainstream schools, operational guidance 2025 to 2026
- DfE: High needs funding 2025 to 2026 operational guide (top-up above the £6,000 threshold)
- Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 (SEN duties on schools)
- House of Commons Library: Schools White Paper 2026 briefing (CBP-10550)
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.