Personal education budgets for children and young people with EHCPs

Funding for provision agreed in a child or young person's education, health and care plan (ECHP).

A personal education budget can be used to arrange and pay for special educational provision agreed in your child or young person’s education, health and care plan (ECHP).

It is not an extra source of funding but a way of drawing on funding that has already been allocated.

You don’t have to have a personal education budget but it can give you more control and choice over how to meet your child’s or your needs.

Personal budgets are also available to fund social care and health provision.

Read our Personal Education Budgets and Direct Payments Policy (PDF document).

How to request a personal education budget

You can request a personal education budget if your child has an EHCP, or if you are a young person with an EHCP.

You can do this:

when we have completed an EHC needs assessment and have confirmed that we will prepare an EHCP
during an annual review of an EHCP

Speak to our SEND Service about requesting a personal budget for your child or yourself, if you are the young person.

What you can use a personal education budget for

Personal education budgets must be used to pay for provision to help achieve learning outcomes agreed in an EHCP.

They cannot be used to pay for a place in school or college.

Manage your personal education budget

There are 4 ways you can manage a personal education budget.

Direct payments

Payments are transferred directly to you, to organise and pay for provision yourself.

Notional budget

Wokingham Borough Council, a school or college holds and manages the payments, but you decide how they are spent.

Third-party arrangements

Payments are transferred to and managed by an individual or organisation, who organises and pays for the provision on your behalf.

A combination of all 3

You can use a mix of direct payments, a notional budget and third-party arrangements to manage a personal education budget.

More information and advice

Wokingham SEND information, advice and support service (SENDIASS) provides advice and support for children and young people with SEND. To find out more about the support they offer, visit the SENDIASS website.

For more information and advice about EHCPs and personal budgets, get in touch with our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Team.