Funding data specifically for children diagnosed with specific learning difficulties is not collected by the Department. However, according to the available information, Essex LA's 2008-09 Section 52 Budget statement reports that the West Chelmsford maintained primary schools received an indicative SEN allocation of £2.2 million.
The following table provides the planned net expenditure on the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs in Essex local authority and England for 2008-09:
Essex LA England ISB for special schools (Table 1) 28,406,000 1,505,407,000 Funding delegated to nursery schools identified as “notional SEN” 15,000 11,660,000 Funding delegated to primary schools identified as “notional SEN” 32,756,000 1,152,319,000 Funding delegated to secondary schools identified as “notional SEN” 27,572,000 879,302,000 Total SEN funding delegated to schools 88,748,000 3,548,688,000 Centrally retained SEN element of the school budget 31,921,000 1,185,141,000 SEN element of the LA budget 5,332,000 365,229,000 Total planned expenditure on the education of children with SEN 126,001,000 5,099,058,000 Notes: 1. Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as “notional SEN” and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools. 2. The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against “notional SEN” are only indicative of the amount that might by spent by schools on SEN. During 2008-09 local authorities in England also budgeted £552.6 million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the table (Essex LA budgeted £13.3 million for SEN transport expenditure). 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and may not sum due to rounding. 4. The data are drawn from Local Authorities Table 2 of their Section 52 Budget statements. The statements are collected by DCSF under section 52 of the Schools Standard & Framework Act 1998. 5. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 10 December 2008