Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Fund

Early Years SENIF funding is additional funding for children who have got early identified needs or more severe and complex needs.

Early identified needs are where you have identified that a child is struggling to meet their universal childhood development milestones at certain ages, as you would normally expect.

Childcare providers can apply if they:

have been rated good or outstanding by OFSTED
are registered to offer and deliver funded places

The child must be in receipt of government funding to be eligible for Early Years SENIF funding and be included your setting’s headcount submission.

This is a pilot scheme that will be reviewed in December 2025 in readiness for our Schools Forum in January 2026.

Assessment

Use the following eligibility criteria to support the assessment of the child and use the descriptors to support your application:

Entitlement for all	Specific individual support	Higher needs
Some evidence of repetitive play and restricted interests Some limited imaginative play Evidence of some delay meeting milestones: under 2 - 6 months delay under 3 - 12 months delay 4 years old - 18 months delay	Evidence of frequent repetitive play and restricted interests Significant difficulties with imaginative play Difficulties retaining concepts over time Child beginning to lose skills	Evidence of persistent repetitive play and restricted interests Severe difficulties in imaginative play Evidence of significant difficulties retaining concepts over time Consistently losing skills

Entitlement for all

Specific individual support

Higher needs

Some evidence of repetitive play and restricted interests
Some limited imaginative play
Evidence of some delay meeting milestones:
under 2 - 6 months delay
under 3 - 12 months delay
4 years old - 18 months delay

Evidence of frequent repetitive play and restricted interests
Significant difficulties with imaginative play
Difficulties retaining concepts over time
Child beginning to lose skills

Evidence of persistent repetitive play and restricted interests
Severe difficulties in imaginative play
Evidence of significant difficulties retaining concepts over time
Consistently losing skills

Early Years Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Entitlement for All	Specific Individual Support	Higher Needs
Short term unexpected behaviours Some difficulties regulating emotions and recognising those of others – e.g. difficulties in sharing, turn taking and social interaction Short term difficulties settling into setting Short term withdrawal from activities Seeks frequent reassurance	Significant changes in play and/or behaviour Significant and frequent unusual behaviours requiring adult intervention Significant difficulties in regulating emotions and recognising those of others, evidenced by significant difficulties in sharing, turn taking and social interaction Significant separation difficulties that persist Frequent withdrawal from activities Frequent increase in anxiety level Attachment to key carers not securely established Significant concerns re poor growth, weight gain/loss, social and emotional health, that requires outside agency input and has an impact on development	Severe changes in play and/or behaviour Persistent, unpredictable extremes of demanding behaviour which affects the safety of the child and others Persistently presents a significant danger to self and others Severe and persistent difficulties in regulating own emotions and recognising those of others, evidenced by severe difficulties in social interaction Severe attachment difficulties affecting development Unable to sustain activities without consistent adult attention and intervention Frequent high anxiety levels and totally withdrawn over a period of time Child may have suffered acute trauma or abuse, rendering them vulnerable, requiring a high level of multiagency involvement over a sustained period

Early Years Sensory and / or Physical Needs

Entitlement for All	Specific Individual Support	Higher Needs
Physical and/or medical difficulties that require medication or equipment and some adult support e.g. asthma, fine motor/gross motor difficulties Not reliably toilet trained (age to be taken into consideration) Some difficulties with self-help skills, for example, dressing, mealtimes Fluctuating hearing loss, mild hearing loss (no aids) Unilateral hearing loss Mild hearing loss and wears aids History of conductive hearing loss Accessible information and support needed where English or signing is an additional language Wears eyeglasses or eye patch Some visual difficulties / loss Some combined hearing and visual loss	Physical and/or medical difficulties that require varied and extensive equipment and adapted resources Significant physical and/or medical difficulties that require close monitoring to ensure safety Physical independence is impaired and requires input and programmes from relevant professionals Close monitoring required Moderate to severe hearing loss and wears aids Moderate visual difficulties/loss Moderate multisensory loss requiring adult support to teach and manage learning with outside agency input	Physical and/or medical difficulties that require specialist equipment, adapted resources and position changes requiring a high level of adult support Intensive monitoring of physical and/or medical difficulties needed throughout the day Adults may need specialist training Continuous loss of physical skills Physical/medical difficulties that put safety and wellbeing at severe risk High levels of adult support for self-care needs Severe or profound hearing loss that has a severe impact on development Severe visual loss which requires continuous support for mobility and self-help skills Severe multisensory impairment with severe impact on development

Early Years Communication

Entitlement for All	Specific Individual Support	Higher Needs
Some delay in receptive and expressive language Immature speech sounds Some withdrawal from others Accessible information and support needed where English or signing is an additional language	Significant delay and/or disorder in expressive and/or receptive language requiring SALT Additional support required to teach and manage alternative communication systems that may involve outside agency input Loss of previously demonstrated communication skills	Severe delay in receptive and/or expressive language Limited understanding of what is said or signed Intensive support to teach and manage alternative communication systems Sustained loss of communication skills previously demonstrated

Early Years Interaction

Entitlement for All	Specific Individual Support	Higher Needs
Some difficulties following social norms e.g. eye contact, turn taking Some withdrawal from company of others and difficulties speaking to adults outside the family Higher than usual anxiety at times of change Some difficulties following adult direction	Frequent and significant difficulties following social norms Persistent and significant difficulties forming relationships Significant difficulties understanding social boundaries/tolerating social interaction Significant and frequent high levels of anxiety at times of change Frequent and significant difficulties following adult direction	Persistent and severe difficulties following adult direction or social norms Inability to form relationships No understanding of social boundaries Unable to tolerate social interaction other than to get needs met Activities at a sensory motor / self-stimulatory level, self-absorbed, and persistent repetitive play Severe and persistent high anxiety levels requiring intensive support

If you feel they have early identified needs, you can apply for funding.

If the needs are more severe or complex, you can apply for Early Years SENIF Band C (formally SENIF Plus) funding. Band C funding is for Targeted Adult Support.

Quotes

You must attach quotes and prices to cover the funding requested (e.g. quotes from services you want to use or website links for resources you want to purchase) in your application or email them to [email protected].

We can’t proceed to the panel meeting without this.

Uses

The funding can be used for special equipment such as sensory toys, adaptions, trainers or consultants and other resources.

It cannot be given to children attending a Reception class, or for any child who has got an active Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP).

SENIF Band C funding is available for Targeted Adult Support for:

two or more children within a setting
one child or more if you're a childminder

The funding can be a contribution towards paying for an adult to support the children. Targeted Adult Support cannot be used to fund the entire duration of the child’s funded place.

You must get consent from the parent or carer to apply.

Funding

Funding bands

Band A: Up to £750 per child, per funding block. This is for 3 or more children with a maximum of 6 per application attending the same group or session where the children require the same level of support and intervention (this could be a speech and language session or a specific learning session, etc)
Band B: Up to £1,500 per child, per funding year. This is for individual children regardless of their needs who require a short-term intervention to support their progress along the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Band C for childminders, pre-schools or smaller settings (less than 20 children on your headcount) the maximum you can claim is £3,750 per year for one child

This is Targeted Adult Support only. These applications must be endorsed by the Early Years Portage Team. The amount of funding awarded will be determined by the panel members
Band C for larger settings (more than 20 children on your headcount), there must be 2 children on your application and the maximum you can claim is £10,000 per application per year

If you are a larger setting but only have one child who requires Targeted Adult Support, we will review an application for this at the panel meeting and this will be a maximum of £5,000 per year

This is Targeted Adult Support only. These applications must be endorsed by the Early Years Portage Team. The amount of funding awarded will be determined by the panel members

Specialist equipment

Purchase equipment to support the child’s access to play and learning opportunities (e.g. wedges for children with physical needs).

Any requests must be recommended in writing by the appropriate health professional (usually an occupational therapist) and must include costs. Any purchased equipment must move with the child if they change their setting.

Adaptations to the environment

Small adaptations to the physical environment help the child's access (e.g. grab rails, ramps, etc).

Any requests must be recommended in writing by the appropriate health professional, usually an occupational therapist, and must include costs.

Adult support

To buy in external expertise such as a trainer or consultant to support the child.

Adult support is available to enable key people to carry out targeted activities. It is important to note that the funding is not intended to provide continuous one-to-one support for individual children, but to enable all children to have access to an appropriate curriculum (e.g. during small group times you may want to allocate one person to lead the group and a second person to support the children in accessing the group, the funding may support you in having enough staff to do this).

You can also use funding for specialist or one-off training (e.g. signing training course, understanding autism or Down Syndrome courses).

Group funding

This funding is available for small groups of three or more children with low-level or emerging needs. This funding can support children (e.g. a speech therapist to visit once a month) or used to access courses to train your staff, who can then deliver the specialist support needed.

WellComm toolkit

Childcare providers using the WellComm toolkit and the EasyPeasy app can apply for SENIF funding to fund any resources suggested as an outcome of the screening process. The current banding and funding limits apply for all applications.

You can't use funding:

for one-to-one staffing for individual children
to subsidise funded places or to offset an existing deficit
where insufficient explanation has been given as to how the funding would be used (e.g. request for funding for a small group but with no explanation as to what this would achieve or progress outcomes)
where inclusion is not the primary purpose of the application
where funding is requested retrospectively
where the child is not in attendance at your setting or on your Headcount Return
for non-specialised resources that should be part of your general provision
for activities that should form part of your universal provision

Supporting evidence

You will need to include:

a completed Early Years Portage Developmental profile (no older than 3 months)
any evidence of other assessments you may have carried out (e.g. Observation Checkpoints from the EYFS, Speech and Language Monitoring Tool, Early Years Social Communication Difficulties or ASD Checklist, etc)
Disability Access Fund (DAF) payment for the child (if applicable) and how this funding has been used to support the child
Any official diagnosis of a Special Educational Need or disability

For Band C funding for Targeted Adult Support, we need evidence of:

which staff member you would use for this support
details of external staff obtained through an agency
details of your SENCO if the staff member will work alongside them (we will require the name and contact details of the Early Years portage worker who must endorse the application)

Examples of needs and supporting evidence

Examples of needs and criteria	Evidence examples
The persistence and intensity of a child’s difficulties has a significant impact on the child, peers, and practitioners within setting: these difficulties could be demonstrated either as withdrawn, anxious or challenging behaviours which would indicate underlying emotional or social concerns, or communication difficulties child requires daily targeted and planned intervention to develop aspects of their personal, social, and emotional development, such as making relationships, behaviour, self-control and self-care, communication for language and communication for thinking safety of the child who is unaware of danger or self-harms, or who is a danger to other children child may have a vision/hearing impairment or a diagnosed developmental condition which impacts on the development of social relationships, self- confidence and awareness.	Evidence from: parents on entry to setting previous setting current observations individual planning planning review risk assessment Reports from: paediatrician speech and language therapist Send Support service advisor health visitor Social Care services Sensory Impairment service
Review request Ensure there is a clear cycle of review involving child, parents, staff, and other professionals as appropriate	Evidence of planning, monitoring, assessment, and evaluation cycles to support and extend personal, social, and emotional aspects of development and learning

Examples of needs and criteria

Evidence examples

The persistence and intensity of a child’s difficulties has a significant impact on the child, peers, and practitioners within setting:

these difficulties could be demonstrated either as withdrawn, anxious or challenging behaviours which would indicate underlying emotional or social concerns, or communication difficulties
child requires daily targeted and planned intervention to develop aspects of their personal, social, and emotional development, such as making relationships, behaviour, self-control and self-care, communication for language and communication for thinking
safety of the child who is unaware of danger or self-harms, or who is a danger to other children
child may have a vision/hearing impairment or a diagnosed developmental condition which impacts on the development of social relationships, self- confidence and awareness.

Evidence from:

parents on entry to setting
previous setting
current observations
individual planning
planning review
risk assessment

Reports from:

paediatrician
speech and language therapist
Send Support service advisor
health visitor
Social Care services
Sensory Impairment service

Review request

Ensure there is a clear cycle of review involving child, parents, staff, and other professionals as appropriate

Evidence of planning, monitoring, assessment, and evaluation cycles to support and extend personal, social, and emotional aspects of development and learning

Apply

You can make up to 3 applications per child in their funding year for Band A Group Funding.

If the child is with two different childcare providers, we can only accept a maximum of 3 applications in total from both providers for Band A Group Funding.

Each provider will need to submit an application in full for the child.

Apply for SENIF Band A funding

Band B and Band C funding can be applied for once a year.

Apply for SENIF Band B funding

Apply for SENIF Band C funding

Deadlines

Panel meeting date	Deadline for applications
8 September 2025	4 September 2025
6 October 2025	30 September 2025
4 November 2025	28 October 2025
2 December 2025	25 November 2025

Assessing your application

Each application will be checked and given to the assessment panel which will meet monthly. If the application misses the deadline for submissions, this will be carried over to the following month.

If we’re missing any information, we will ask for this before it can go to the assessment panel. We will not take the application to the panel without all the supporting evidence.

We will let you know of the application outcome within 5 working days of the decision.

Payments

Payment will follow the normal Early Years Headcount payment process and be paid on the 25th of the month.

Declined applications

Should you wish to appeal a decline decision, you will be asked to provide additional information to support your appeal. This information will be passed to the panel members for a final decision.

Monitoring and progress

We will monitor the use funding at regular intervals throughout the year.

You will need to provide a progress report for children via an online form as well as provide receipts and invoices evidencing the spend including all Targeted Adult Support spending.

Contact

If you have any queries regarding the outcome, you can email [email protected].

Resources

If resources are being requested for the first time, please ensure that you have had a discussion and agreement with a professional (e.g. Early Years advisors, SEND Support Service (SSS), occupational therapists, educational psychologists, physiotherapists, etc)

Resources that you can purchase	Area of need
Sensory Toy Warehouse provides a range of different sensory toys and ideas (e.g. ear defenders, chew toys, fidget toys, wobble cushions)	Autism Sensory processing Behaviour Attention Developmental delay Physical needs Hearing impaired Visually impaired
Sensory Direct provides a selection of different sensory toys	Autism Sensory processing Behaviour Attention Developmental delay Physical needs Hearing impaired Visually impaired
Sense Toys provides a selection of different resources and sensory toys	Autism Sensory processing Behaviour Attention Developmental delay Physical needs Hearing impaired Visually impaired
Amazon has a range of different toys and resources (e.g. keyring with signs, timers)	Autism Sensory processing Behaviour Attention Developmental delay Physical needs Hearing impaired Visually impaired
Sensory education has a variety of different resources and toys	Autism Sensory processing Behaviour Attention Developmental delay Physical needs Hearing impaired Visually impaired

Last updated 10 September 2025