Summer Term submission deadline is Friday 17th April 2026
Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding From January 2026
What is Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding?
Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF) is allocated to promote the inclusion of children within a pre-5 setting who may require additional / different provision due to their Special Educational Need and/or Disability (SEND). This funding also
supports local authorities to undertake their responsibilities to strategically commission SEND services as required under the Children and Families Act 2014. Local authorities are expected to target their Early Years SEND Inclusion Funds at children with
lower-level emerging SEND. ‘Emerging SEND’ is not defined within the DfE’s guidance. We define this as children, assessed as requiring any SEND Support who do not have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). At the point an EHCP is put in place for a child,
the resources allocated via this EHCP will replace SENIF funding.
Why the change from EYIF to SENIF?
We know that early identification and the right support at the right time is essential for children with SEND to thrive. The processes for early years inclusion funding (EYIF) were streamlined and amended to enable less time required for paperwork and to
ensure the application process was manageable and therefore to have a positive impact on the children applied for. The main changes from EYIF was the introduction of a termly cohort model - reducing paperwork, processing time, reducing lengthy narratives taking
time to write/read, one page per provider per term, children continue to be individually assessed, focus on assessment levels and a funding banding model introduced.
Amazing news to share following the Service Excellence Awards; SENIF was a winner within the change and innovation category. This is wonderful recognition, reflecting feedback received from providers that our new application process is making a significant
positive difference to how they apply for and receive funding. Thank you to the pilot providers for being an integral part of the development and subsequent roll out of SENIF across the whole district.
There are 3 main elements to the review of SENIF applications:
Firstly, the agree/decline process – checking that the information and documentation supplied is within statutory requirements, provided at the point of submission and within the deadline date.
Secondly, all children processed to check they are eligible for and have claimed the Early Education Entitlement including the correct amount of hours, to the correct setting, for the correct child. Without this confirmed, SENIF cannot
be provided.
Finally, the processing of payments.
This first district wide, termly submission accrued 87 providers and 563 children to process. As one of the aims of SENIF is to streamline the process, this must be supported by the providers too. As we now operate under a termly funding model, the amount
of reviewing/processing time required is designed to be condensed to a focused timescale each term. For Spring term submissions, SENIF personnel spent a vast amount of this focused time requesting missing documents or clarifying information that would have
had an impact on the funding amount provided. This additional checking time was agreed to support settings during the first termly submission only.
As it is unsustainable for SENIF personal to chase missing documents or clarify information during the focussed time allocated,
it is imperative that settings quality check their own submissions starting from the summer term.
SENIF personnel will take each submission at face value and assume that documents submitted are an accurate representation. They will make decisions on criteria and funding amount accordingly.
Any submissions that request funding for children who do not meet criteria or that do not have the necessary documentation are subject to be declined.
Some factors inconsistently provided:
- Holiday dates - term start date, term end date, any dates closed for holidays/training days/other and for All Year Round children if Bank Holidays are included or not attended
- All Year Round attended hours out of the Early Education Entitlement hours claimed
- Assessment detail
- Up to date information/progress on any EHCA/Ps
In essence, the drop down options and boxes available must be completed on the cohort summary sheet for each child.
Summer Term submission deadline is Friday 17th April 2026
To aid with this, the
Guidance to apply for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding V1 has been updated. Even if you have applied previously, please use the updated guide to ensure all factors have been included in your cohort submission
Please see below for the documents required for your submission and helpful links.
Next Steps
Start by reading the below documents/guidance as this will provide you with the criteria for SENIF and top tips of how to fulfil a successful application.
What to consider before applying for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding January 2026
Guidance to apply for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding V1
Parental Consent
Provider Declaration
Cohort Summary Application Document
Banding Model
Practice Guide to the Early Years Developmental Journal
Bradford Matrix of Need
Early Years SEN Progress Grid