Disability Access Fund (DAF)

If a child is aged three or four and is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the setting can apply for the Disability Access Fund (DAF).

The purpose of DAF is to support early years settings to make initial reasonable adjustments and to build the capacity of their setting to support disabled children. DAF is a one-off payment of £938 for financial year 2025/26.

If a child is splitting their FEEE across two providers, the parent will be required to confirm in writing to the local authority which school or setting they nominate as the main setting and who will receive DAF funding. This information is recorded by the parent on their parental declaration form.

Full details about claiming DAF funding can be found in Section 1.12/13 of the FEEE Financial Guidance 25-26. To claim DAF for a child at your setting, you should upload the documentary evidence (child’s disability living allowance award letter) to the child’s record on the Early Years Provider Portal and notify the local authority with an email to FEEEProvision@walthamforest.gov.uk. 

SEN Inclusion Fund (SENIF)

The SEN Inclusion Fund (SENIF) is funding available to early years providers, (including childminders in receipt of FEEE) for supporting children with learning and developmental delay or SEND. The funding is for use in the early years provision that the child attends and will be paid to the provider to be used to support the needs of the identified individual child.

Funding will move with the child if they are to change provisions, provided the new provision is still in Waltham Forest and is a FEEE provider, this needs to be considered if employing additional staff. It is the early years provision’s responsibility to notify EYSEND.PANEL@walthamforest.gov.uk if a child in receipt of SENIF leaves the provision, please include the date the child left.

Eligibility for the funding

• 2-year-olds and 3-and 4-year-olds taking up their FEEE place.
• Attending an early years provision in the London Borough of Waltham Forest
• Presenting with additional needs in the moderate to profound delay range with over 25+ months of learning and developmental delay or SEND (or 16+ Months if child is 2 years old).
• Applying for SENIF 
• SENIF Application Form 
• SENIF Review Application Form
• All About Me Form - Powerpoint
• All About Me Form - PDF
• SENIF Application Form Childminder

SENIF Notional Budget

SENIF Notional Budget has replaced the process of applying for SENIF level 2 which was in place during 2023/24. SENIF level 2 payments ceased on the 31 March 2024.  Please note, Early years OFSTED registered providers, schools and childminders will be required  to submit SENIF applications for SENIF level 3&4 funding using the SENIF application form. 

SENIF Notional Budget will be paid to all Ofsted registered settings providing FEEE funding, based on the number of part-time equivalent (PTE) places provided in October 2024 Census. The funding will be paid at £140 per place. The SENIF Notional Budget payments will be processed on a monthly basis (1/12 of annual payment) and will start from April 2025. They will be shown on the remittance with a description ‘SENIF Notional Budget 1 of 12’ for your ease of reference. 

For new providers SENIF Notional funding will be based on the number of Part time equivalent (PTEs) children recorded in Census following the commencement date of your FEEE funding  agreement. Census is completed each term. E.g. Your FEEE funding agreement commence in September 2025, we will use Autumn term Census data to work out your SENIF Notional budget allocation. SENIF Notional funding will be paid at £140 per place.

Early years OFSTED registered providers and schools* will not have to apply for SENIF Notional Budget, it will be paid automatically.

*NB: Please note: Childminders will not receive a SENIF notional budget but they can apply for SENIF funding for children who have a learning and developmental delay of twenty-four months and below or those with a learning and developmental delay of twenty-five months or higher.  Childminders should contact their Childminding Development Officer prior to making any SENIF referrals.

Our expectation is that all OFSTED registered settings and schools will support inclusivity and equality of access to FEEE places for families and that OFSTED registered settings and schools who receive SENIF Notional Budget funding should be able to meet the needs of children taking up their FEEE place with low/medium level learning and developmental delay through the use of  OAP, AET and Speech Language and Communication needs strategies in order to support children to make expected levels of progress. 

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at EYSEND.Panel@walthamforest.gov.uk and FEEEprovision@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Process for applying for SENIF Level 3 and 4 funding

Download the ‘Applying for SENIF’ document below for more information regarding the application process.

SENIF Panel dates September 2025 to July 2026

The SEN Inclusion Fund Panel will be held monthly. Please see below for the dates of the panel meetings and the last date applications/supporting documents need to be submitted by to be considered at panel.

Please be aware, any applications made for a child starting school in September 2026 will NOT be considered for funding after the May 2026 panel date.

*SENIF applications for children starting school in September 2026 will NOT be considered after the May panel date

**Please note, there will not be a SENIF Panel in August 2026. The Panel will meet again in September 2026.

Please ensure all applications are completed in full and are on the current SENIF application form. Please also ensure that the parent/carer’s email address is typed, not handwritten and that the parents signature is obtained and clearly written on the application form. Please include a My Early Years Support Plan. The Panel are unable to consider incomplete applications; these will be sent back to you, and you will be asked to resend the complete application. Please be aware this may lead to a delay in funding being approved. It is paramount we receive fully completed applications, including a parent/carer signature to meet GDPR requirements and to ensure an accurate decision is made with regards to the support required to meet the needs of the child.

SEND Inclusion Fund Referral Prior to a Child’s Start Date (SENIF Golden Ticket)

In some cases, SENIF applications are made from professionals outside of the Early Years provision a child is due to start attending. These applications will be for children who are on the Early Years Inclusion Pathway and have been consistently attending either Learning Together Under 2s (LTU2s), Learning Together Pre School (LTPS) or Let’s Play.

If funding is felt to be appropriate, the parents will be notified of the funding decision (SENIF Golden Ticket) and will be asked to present this funding confirmation email to the setting upon starting. It is then the settings responsibility to get in touch with the Early Years Inclusion team to initiate the funding.  The SENIF Golden Ticket is designed to support the transition period, enable the child to settle into the new setting and for the setting to get to know the child; their strengths, areas for additional support etc. and to put an Early Years Support Plan in place. SENIF funding will then continue until the end of the academic year and will be subjected to local authority monitoring as per the process for all SENIF level 3 and 4 funding.

This process is to support the child and the setting and to prevent a barrier for the child starting at the nursery whilst waiting for funding.

Allocation of the funding

Decisions about whether to allocate funding and the amount of Additional Hourly Rate Top Up Funding are made by the Early Years, Childcare and Business Development Service.  They will assess the information provided in the application and make a decision against the level of developmental delay in the three prime areas of the EYFS and any additional health needs. 

A SENIF Decision form will be sent to the referrer. It is the early years setting's responsibility to ensure the recommendations are implemented and parents/carers are informed of the funding. If an early years setting feels the level of funding agreed by the panel is not sufficient to meet the needs of the child, this must be discussed initially with your allocated Area SENCO, or EYs SEND Advisor. Any early years setting requesting a higher level of funding must submit a SENIF Review Application form and supporting evidence, explaining the reasons why they believe the child requires a higher level of funding.

SENIF Funding Levels

What are the Additional Hourly Rate Top Up Funding Levels and what are they based on?

The Additional Hourly Rate Top Up Funding approved will be based on the child’s learning and developmental delay in the three prime areas of the EYFS.

Funding will be based on the area with the most developmental delay. Details of this can be found in the table below.

Payments of the allocated funding

Additional Hourly Rate Top Up Funding for level 3 or 4 may be approved, in principle, until the end of the academic year. A start date and end date will be included on the SENIF Decision Form, along with the level of funding agreed. All payments will be based on the child’s actual hours of attendance, it is the early years provision’s responsibility to inform the local authority if there are any changes to the child’s attendance hours, please update child's claim on the providers portal and email EYSEND.PANEL@walthamforest.gov.uk.

The payments are made on a monthly basis, based on the start and end date on the SENIF Decision Form. Any missed payments will be backdated in the next payment run the following month. These payments will be reconciled at the end of term.

Use of the allocated funding

The funding is to support the inclusion of a child with learning and developmental delay or SEND, promote early intervention and improve outcomes for the child.

Examples of how early years providers can use the SENIF include:

• To embed the Ordinarily Available Provision

• Build capacity within the early years provision with additional staffing to support specific interventions/strategies for the child

• Specialist or one-off training to upskill whole team or staff member(s)

• Enhance ratios in order to support the child

The use of the allocated funding will be monitored by the Early Years and Inclusion Team. 

SENIF in Reception Funding

The SEN Inclusion Fund (SENIF) in Reception is funding available to schools to support children with learning and developmental delay or SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) in the first term of their Reception year. 

SENIF in Reception Funding will allow schools to offer additional support to children in Reception who had been in receipt of SENIF level 3 and 4 funding in preschools and nurseries across Waltham Forest and are not in receipt of an EHCP. 

Rationale and purpose of funding

A delay in learning and development in the early years may or may not indicate that a child has SEN, that is, that they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision. The level of self-care needs for a child in Reception may not always be an indicator of the level of self-care support that they may need in the longer term.

‘SENIF in Reception’ funding will be paid where a child has been identified as learning and developmental delay differences or delay, which is likely to require additional support in their Reception year.

This funding can be used by the school to gain a full understanding of the child’s particular strengths and needs and how best address them in a classroom environment, using well-evidenced interventions targeted at areas of difficulty and, where necessary, specialist equipment or software in order to overcome barriers to learning and participation.

It will also allow the school to test out interventions as part of this process, both to judge their effectiveness for the child and to provide further information about the precise nature of their needs.

This funding should also allow schools to involve appropriate specialists, for example, health visitors, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists or specialist teachers, who may be able to identify effective strategies, equipment, programmes or other interventions to enable the child to make progress towards the desired learning and development outcomes.

SENIF in Reception funding will help schools to build a clear picture of the child longer terms needs which could be met through ordinarily available practice and schools notional SEND budget or may support an EHCP assessment request in the future should it be required. 

In addition, SENIF in Reception funding will also be paid in relation to children who were in receipt of level 3 and 4 SENIF funding in their nursery provision where the SEND panel have approved an EHCP assessment or have agreed to issue an EHCP.

Local authority SENIF monitoring

Monitoring the use of SENIF funding ensures that funding allocated to support children with learning and development delay/special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in early years settings is used effectively and appropriately.

Continuation of agreed SENIF funding will be subject to the satisfactory completion of local authority monitoring. Local authority monitoring will comprise of the completion of a SENIF monitoring form via Microsoft teams.  This form will need to be completed for ALL children receiving SENIF level 3 or 4 funding either in June or December, depending on their funding start date.

For example:

A referral made and approved between  Sep – Dec will need a monitoring form to be completed and submitted in June.

A referral made and approved between  Jan – July  will need a monitoring form to be completed and submitted in Dec.

Forms submitted as part of the local authority monitoring process will be reviewed by the Early Years Inclusion Team.

Please note:

Failure to complete the SENIF monitoring form may impact on the continuation of your SENIF funding.

If there are any issues with regard to the SENIF monitoring form, please contact your area SENCO or the EYs SEND Advisor.

Allocated Area SENCOs and EYs SEND Advisors will also be monitoring the use of SENIF during visits to early years settings, as a part of the local authority monitoring process.

It is the early years setting’s responsibility to inform the Early Years and Childcare Team immediately if a child leaves a setting and/or if they make significant progress which means they no-longer require SENIF, if the child’s hours of attendance change, or if the level of funding needs to be reduced EYSEND.Panel@walthamforest.gov.uk.

For further information settings should speak to their  allocated Area SENCO or the EYs SEND Advisor, or your Childminder Development Worker, if you’re a childminder. If you need any further support or have any questions about the SEN Inclusion Fund email EYSEND.Panel@walthamforest.gov.uk.