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Guidance

High needs benchmarking tool

A comparative tool to help local authorities plan for future high needs spend and provision.

Updates to this page

From:
Education and Skills Funding Agency and Department for Education
Published:
25 August 2020
Last updated:
15 October 2025
Show all updates

  1. We have updated information on this GOV.UK page to include a link to the new 'Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool'.

  2. We have updated the high needs benchmarking tool. This version of the tool includes more recent section 251 data (2022 to 2023 outturn and 2023 to 2024 budget) and special educational needs (SEN) data for January 2024.

  3. We have updated the high needs benchmarking tool. The version of the tool includes more recent section 251 data (2021 to 2022 outturn and 2022 to 2023 budget) and special educational needs (SEN) data for January 2023. We have also removed data for 2016 to 2027.

  4. We've re-published the high needs benchmarking tool.

  5. 17.11.2022 - High needs benchmarking tool temporarily removed due to some identified errors within and it will be re-published shortly

  6. We've updated the high needs benchmarking tool. This version includes new section 251 data (2020 to 2021 outturn and 2021 to 2022 budget) and SEN data for 2022.

  7. We have updated the high needs benchmarking tool. An error was identified which meant that the per head figures for England for S251 Outturn for 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 were incorrect for 4 categories (SEN support and inclusion services, Alternative provision services, Hospital education services, and Therapies and other health related services). This problem has now been corrected

  8. We have updated the high needs benchmarking tool. This version of the tool includes new Section 251 data (2019 to 2020 outturn), SEN data for January 2020 and provisional high needs national funding formula allocations for 2021 to 2022.

  9. We have revised a small number of formulae in the tool– these changes mainly concern information for England.

  10. First published.

This publication was withdrawn on

This page is now out of date.

View the latest high needs benchmarking data using the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.

Applies to England

Documents

[WITHDRAWN] High needs benchmarking tool

14.4 MB

Details

We have recently published a new Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool which includes benchmarking data for high needs. As with the existing tool on this page, local authorities can use the new tool to periodically assess their own level of spend and pattern of provision against those of similar local authorities, by navigating to any local authority and selecting ‘High needs benchmarking’.

We encourage you to engage with the new tool and feedback as appropriate, by contacting us at: Benchmarking.SUPPORT@education.gov.uk

Once we are reassured that the new tool is meeting local authority needs for benchmarking high needs spending, we will close the benchmarking tool published on this page.

Information about high needs funding and the review and planning role of local aurhorities can be found within the high needs funding operational guide.’

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