Element 3 funding

It remains our intention that there continues to be very substantial investment of high needs funding and provision into mainstream settings to seek to increase the level of inclusion and to reduce the escalation of need and demand for specialist provision. Whilst this investment includes Element 3 'top-up' funding available, it also includes both sustaining and investing in 'free at the point of delivery' services that support increased inclusion in mainstream settings and are a benefit to mainstream schools.   

These include: 

• Ongoing expansion of Specialist Resource Bases and the development of Specialist Hubs of Inclusive Practice 
• Local Planning Partnerships alongside Secondary SEMH Bases (previously referred to as the schools-led Alternative Provision model).  Please contact your allocated Inclusion Team for further information.
• Full implementation of the SEND and Inclusion Support Model (SISM) including investment in additional school and community facing resources and investment to cease trading of the Educational Psychology Support Service with mainstream schools to enable targeted preventative support offer, across all of Norfolk. 

This has resulted in significantly more resource directed into mainstream schools now and increasing in future years, in addition to local authority investment, on top of the investment already made from the High Needs Block.  The aim is to increase mainstream inclusion and seek a reduction in  the need, and demand, for more specialist provision.  

The 2025/26 Element 3 funding budget will continue to be maintained at c. £35m, as indicated in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Consultation in autumn 2024.