Does ICFP work for special schools?

The challenge of using integrated curriculum and financial planning with special schools is the diversity of the schools. Different special schools focus on a different range of needs. The SEN Code of Practice (2015) divides SEND into four categories:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs

Not only do special schools contain a different mix of these categories, but many pupils have complex needs that do not fit conveniently within only one of these categories.

Added to this the make up of any special school will change over time as the individuals that make up the school’s cohort changes and so the range of needs changes.

And a further complexity still arises from the particular funding methodology that is used by the Local Authority (LA) that the school is within; and further the mix of LAs that they take their pupils from.

This is not to say that a specialist school or special needs trust would not gain any value from an integrated curriculum and financial planning approach to an analysis of their finances. The key process, however, needs to be around understanding why the school varies from the norm referenced metrics, whether the school or trust are comfortable with this deviation in the metrics and whether the overall position reveals a balanced income and expenditure position.

At ICFP.school we are very keen to find ways to improve our analysis and so are keen to hear from providers of SEND education about how we can improve the ICFP.school dashboard and make it more useful for SEND establishments.

Do please get in touch at office@tsoeducation.co.uk and let us know what you think of our current dashboard and to tell us what else you would like to be added.