Funding for Independent Special Schools

Arta Dedaj-Salad made this Freedom of Information request to Croydon Borough Council Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

The request was successful.

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

"I am investigating the difference in costs between provider types: non-maintained special schools, independent special schools, independent special post-16 institutions and mainstream independent schools. I am interested in the expenditure from the education budget that is reported in Section 251 returns, “1.2.3 Top-up and other funding – non-maintained and independent providers”.

• The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at non-maintained special schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at non-maintained special schools
• The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at non-maintained special schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at non-maintained special schools
• The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at independent special schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at independent special schools
• The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at independent special schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at independent special schools
• The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at mainstream independent schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at mainstream independent schools
• The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at mainstream independent schools
• The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at mainstream independent schools
• The number of young people with an EHCP placed but not boarding at independent special post-16 institutions
• The average funding from the education budget for a young person placed but not boarding at independent special post-16 institutions
• The number of young people with an EHCP boarding at independent special post-16 institutions
• The average funding from the education budget for a young person boarding at independent special post-16 institutions"

Yours faithfully,

Arta Dedaj-Salad

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

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Dear Arta Dedaj-Salad

 

Freedom of information request - FOI/8619

 

Subject: FOI - Funding for independent special schools

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

 

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

 

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

Dear Arta Dedaj-Salad

Request FOI/8619

Freedom of Information Request

Your request has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding
to you. Specifically, you have requested the following information:

I am investigating the difference in costs between provider types:
non-maintained special schools, independent special schools, independent
special post-16 institutions and mainstream independent schools. I am
interested in the expenditure from the education budget that is reported
in Section 251 returns, “1.2.3 Top-up and other funding – non-maintained
and independent providers”.

The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at non-maintained special
schools

923 pupils

The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at
non-maintained special schools

Average cost per annum is £56,559 at £297.68 per day

The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at non-maintained special
schools

The information requested is in the public domain. 
[1]https://explore-education-statistics.ser...

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. 

The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at
non-maintained special schools

The information requested is in the public domain.
[2]Education, health and care plans, Reporting year 2023 – Explore
education statistics – GOV.UK
(explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at independent special
schools

446 pupils.

The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at
independent special schools

Average cost per annum is £66,113.84 at £347.96 per day.

The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at independent special schools

3 pupils

The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at
independent special schools

The average funding is £75,698

The number of day pupils with an EHCP placed at mainstream independent
schools

The information requested is in the public domain
[3]Education, health and care plans, Reporting year 2023 – Explore
education statistics – GOV.UK
(explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

The average funding from the education budget for the day pupils placed at
mainstream independent schools

The information requested is in the public domain.
[4]Education, health and care plans, Reporting year 2023 – Explore
education statistics – GOV.UK
(explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

The number of pupils with an EHCP boarding at mainstream independent
schools

The information requested is in the public domain.
[5]https://explore-education-statistics.ser...

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

The average funding from the education budget for the pupils boarding at
mainstream independent schools

The information requested is in the public domain.
[6]Education, health and care plans, Reporting year 2023 – Explore
education statistics – GOV.UK
(explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 therefore applies,
‘Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means’. This
acts as an exemption notice.  Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied. 

This means that the Council is relieved of the duty to communicate the
requested information to an applicant if there is an existing method by
which the information can be obtained, outside of the operation of the
Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

The number of young people with an EHCP placed but not boarding at
independent special post-16 institutions

552 pupils

The average funding from the education budget for a young person placed
but not boarding at independent special post-16 institutions

£9,390.75

The number of young people with an EHCP boarding at independent special
post-16 institutions

3 pupils

The average funding from the education budget for a young person boarding
at independent special post-16 institutions"
 
£75,698

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[7]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act you may ask for an internal review. 
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response. 
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

Email:        [Croydon Borough Council request email]

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon
Bernard Weatherill House
3^rd Floor - Zone E
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire   SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely 

Croydon Council

 

 

References

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1. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
2. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
3. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
4. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
5. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
6. https://explore-education-statistics.ser...
7. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/