This is the explanation I have recently received about 16-18 college funding for students with special educational needs and disabilities. I am passing this on in the hope that it will explain the financial benefit to having an Education Health and Care Plan [EHCP] *
The college receives £3,000 – £4,000 per student on a full programme. This is Tier 1 funding.
In addition, the college receives £2,000 – £3,000 extra for each student with “additional support needs.” (To give a rough idea, the number of students with additional support needs at the college I spoke to is five times higher than the number of students with an EHCP.)
Thirdly the college receives a block grant based on a a certain number of EHCP students which works out at around £4,000 per EHCP student.
It is important to note that the number of EHCP places paid for by this block grant is NOT set by the college and is NOT the same as the number of actual students with an EHCP.
For example, I spoke to one college which had 50% more students with an EHCP than the number being funded. Next year this college expects to take 75% more than the funded number. (Students from outside the local authority area are not counted here)
Since there are more students with EHCPs than there are EHCP-funded places, the EHCP money is spread out amongst ALL the students who have EHCPs.
What this means is that a student with an EHCP does NOT bring any extra funding to the college but UNLESS AND UNTIL the student has the EHCP, they will not be able to access the EHCP funding pot.
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* Section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014 says that a young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. The learning difficulty or disability is further defined a having a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream post-16 institutions.
Read more here
http://edyourself.org/articles/EHCPlayout.php
http://edyourself.org/articles/SENsurvey.php
edyourself 
I am a little confused my daughter is highly dyslexic and her high school took her out of a GCSE to do Ashden qualification (life skills). We are applying to colleges but none recognise this qualification plus the points to get to her A level entry is unachiveable. There is no difference from one child to another in the entry level points. Is this the norm with all colleges
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Hi, Do you mean ASDAN eg something line this? https://www.asdan.org.uk/courses/programmes/lifeskills-challenge
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