Thank you for contacting me about supporting deaf children in my constituency of Horsham.
We all want every child to have the best start in life. It is important that young people with disabilities can access the services they need for a good education. Helping children with sensory impairments to reach their potential is a priority. I am encouraged that the Department for Education has provided £2.25 million of funding to a partnership of sensory impairment charities to improve outcomes for children and young people with sensory impairment. The Department for Education also works with charities such as the National Deaf Children's Society to produce resources such as the 'Supporting the achievement of deaf children' pack. This is a comprehensive set of guides on how teachers can support children and young people with hearing impairment.
The system for identifying and meeting the needs of all children with special educational needs and disabilities is designed to deliver the right support for all children, so that they can achieve their potential and their education prepares them well for fulfilling adult lives.
West Sussex County Council use the local funding formula to estimate the number of children with special education needs a school is likely to have. They are required to allocate sufficient funds to schools to enable them to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEN, up to £6,000 per pupil per year. If the additional costs required exceed this amount the local authorities can allocate top-up funding from its high needs budget. Local authorities can also allocate additional funding from its high needs budget to schools that have a disproportionate number of SEN children.
I welcome the additional £92.5 million of high needs funding to local authorities for the 2016-2017 year, and I am pleased that a further £130 million will be provided for 2017-2018.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
