Guidance

CEAS information 13b: SENA application advice and guidance

Updated 15 November 2022

Advice and guidance for schools and parents on completion of the CEA(SENA) application form (CEAS form 13)

The following advice is for both initial and continuation requests.

This is your opportunity to share with us the reasons behind this application for the Continuity of Education Allowance (Special Educational Needs Allowance) (CEA (SENA)). CEAS need to ensure due rigour and consistency in how SENA is considered and awarded. It is therefore important to give as much information as possible within this application form. In reviewing what has happened in school thus far, and considering the school’s plan for extra support, we can make a judgement together with the school and parents on what would appropriate provision for a child/young person with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Please note: applications must be made prior to the requirement of the additional funded support. All re-applications for SENA must be made at least a half term prior to the expiry date on a current SENA certificate. SENA must be ‘pre-authorised’ (as per JSP 752, Chapter 14, Section 2) and therefore cannot be backdated.

Before completing the form, please consider very carefully whether the child/young person has SEN. For the purposes of SENA, SEN is defined in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code (SEND) of Practice (Jan 2015) as follows:

xiii. A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

xiv. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

Independent schools do not have to abide by the SEND Code of Practice (2015), but the Independent Schools Council state:

Independent schools should already have systems in place to identify SEN and provide SEN support. The Code sets out good practice and independent schools may therefore want to look at this to help them review the systems they already have in place

Independent schools are required to abide by the Equality Act (2010) and make ‘reasonable adjustments’ where required.

Parents and school staff should ensure they have robust evidence concerning the following before completing the request for SENA, including:

• evidence of previous difficulties requiring support over and above what would be reasonably expected from school resources

• evidence of attainments that are significantly below expected levels for the pupils age (for example standardised scores less than 84)

• evidence of gaps in learning behaviour/aspects of SEND which impede classroom performance

Responsibilities for completing the application

Section 1 (subsections A to B): to be completed by parents/carers.

Section 2 (subsections C to D): to be completed by SENCo, learning support coordinator or inclusion manager.

When completing subsections C to D, please note the following points:

1. Indicate which of the areas of need apply to the child/young person.

2. Please either use this box, naming the assessment, dating it and listing the associated data, or include the data sheet with this form, stating see attached. If this is not supplied, SENA is unlikely to be approved.

3. This is where what has already been put in place is described; evidence of how these areas of need have been addressed by the school to date. If differentiation has occurred, please be explicit on how the activities/tasks have been differentiated, what level of support has been offered and what level of planning was required for this to happen.

Please list and describe in detail, being as specific as possible:

• what is taking place

• how it is taking place

• how often

• with whom

Name the proprietary interventions and if used, name ICT resources. You may submit copies of child’s work if appropriate.

Section 3 (Subsections E to G): to be completed by specialist school staff, as above.

Section E

According to the SEND Code of Practice 2015, an outcome is defined as:

the benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention

It should describe what the child or young person will be expected to do/how the intervention has benefitted them. Here are some examples:

Within the next 12 months, Joshua will be able to formulate his letters, with an increase in accuracy and being more consistent in size and positioned correctly in line, in all his English lessons.

By the end of Year 8 Sophie will be able to start any given classroom task, given the visual prompts required, without adult supervision.

The following are NOT outcomes, they are provision:

Troy will receive 15 minutes, each week of targeted support with his teaching assistant.

Justina needs a weekly visual timetable. Parent and teaching assistant to encourage and support Malika to develop cooking skills.

Imran to continue to access speech and language, one day per week for 45 minutes (adapted from Special Needs Jungle website).

Section F

This is about what provision is found within the school for all pupils that do not incur additional funding, and what elements of support will need to be paid for, and what the school and parents are requesting with SENA.

The form is split into 2 boxes and each intervention should be listed and costed. It should be clear which interventions require funding through SENA. This will be reviewed by qualified CEAS staff.

Section G

To be signed by the person with responsibility for implementing the learning support at the school. Please list any additional qualifications held.

Section 4 (subsection H): to be completed by parents/carers.

Section H

To be completed by the service parent after familiarising themselves with the school’s evidence and proposed plans. It is the responsibility of the parents to oversee the academic progress and well-being of their child/young person. They should seek clarification from school staff if it is felt that the evidence does not reflect the child’s/young person’s needs. Parents and the child/young person are encouraged to submit their views.

The service parent’s original signature is essential for this form to be put forward to the SENA panel.

It is recommended that parents discuss any plans for additional support to ensure that the child/young person is comfortable and engaged with them. This will maximise the success of any proposed additional provision.