Banding Descriptors
Below you will find information about the Essex Banding Descriptors Matrix which was introduced in 2017.
The document titled Essex Banding Descriptors Matrix Explained provides information about what the descriptors are, why we have them, how they were created and how Essex will use them. Please read the document first if you are new to Banding Descriptors and the matrix.
Please note: the Banding Descriptors should be completed as part of an Education Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) - they are not designed to be used as part of a request for an EHCNA.
The following documents will be of use:
Individual Pupil Resourcing Agreement (IPRA)
Essex County Council is keen to ensure that mainstream schools are able to provide an appropriate local offer for children with additional needs. Essex has a mechanism to provide timely additional resources to schools without having to carry out a statutory assessment, and then issue an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan.
This is known as an Individual Pupil Resourcing Agreement (IPRA).
IPRA can only be considered in the following circumstances and should not be regarded as a means of receiving additional / early funding to enable schools to collate information to support a request for a statutory assessment:
- Medical Needs Funding
- Transitional Funding
IPRA will cease if:
- a pupil is no longer funding responsibility of Essex
- a pupil moves to a different school
Transitional funding applications will only be offered for up to two terms, and the school would be expected to apply for an EHC needs assessment thereafter if required.
The following documents may help further understanding of IPRA:
Mainstream SEN Funding Information
Online Pupil Summaries
All Essex schools and academies should now be able to view and export information once they are logged in to the secure area (My School Page).
Initially the summaries will be updated half-termly to coincide with the payments being processed.
Resources permitting, the team will be looking to increase the frequency of reporting to monthly updates in the future.
The SEN Provision Team will continue to email out summaries of the payments processed during the year. These will be sent to the generic school email address on the Essex Schools List, unless an alternative email address has been provided.
The SEN Provision Team will no longer send out pupil summaries. Schools should therefore ensure that any staff members who require this information are made aware of the new arrangements for accessing it, as any requests received by SEN Provision will be referred back to the relevant school. This includes requests from academy trusts and consortium managers as, moving forward, the expectation is that schools will be responsible for sharing any applicable information with relevant parties who do not have direct access to it.
Please note - It is recommended that these reports are downloaded and saved for future reference as they will be overwritten each time they are updated.
Funding Queries
To coincide with the publication of these summaries, we are introducing a new process for raising funding queries.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document has been prepared which should be consulted before contacting the SEN Provision Team with your queries.
If the FAQ document does not resolve your query please complete this Mainstream SEN Funding Query Form. This form should also be used for queries regarding SEN Shortfall funding. Please note that from 01/07/21 SEN Provision will only be accepting mainstream funding queries via this form which will enable the team to manage and respond to them more effectively.
Other Funding Resources
