Funding for children with a Record of Need
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WQ.74/2026
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
BY DEPUTY M.B. ANDREWS OF ST HELIER NORTH
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 16th MARCH 2026
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 23rd MARCH 2026
Question
"Will the Minister explain whether funding awarded for children with a Record of Need is applied solely to the individual child or, if not, how the funding is allocated?"
Answer
Record of Need (RoN) funding is calculated for each individual child using the High Needs Top Up Matrix. Each child with a RoN receives a base allocation plus a top up amount determined by their assessed banding. The top up element moves with the child if they transfer to another school, meaning the funding is generated specifically for that child and follows them.
Schools are required to use this allocation to meet the child's assessed needsfor example, through curriculum adaptation, specialist support, assistive technology, equipment, or environmental adjustments so that the child can access learning alongside their peers.
However, RoN funding is not solely allocated to or spent in isolation on a single child.
Schools are required, under Jersey education law, to consider all the arrangements needed for a child and to plan strategically how these will be delivered within their setting. This includes organising staffing, timetabling, interventions and resources in ways that ensure the efficient use of resources across the school.
RoN funding therefore supplements a school's wider provision. It sits alongside, rather than replaces, the support already funded through the school's mainstream budget and its generic SEND allocation.
In practice, the total cost of meeting a child's needs typically exceeds the RoN allocation and schools contribute additional staffing and resources to ensure appropriate provision is in place.
What should a Record of Need related funding be spent on?
Schools must ensure that children and young people with a RoN can access a curriculum and full-time education along with their peers. To do so, the base and top-up funding should be used to remove any barriers to accessing learning and where necessary, provide a bespoke curriculum, appropriate support, assistive technology, specialist equipment and/or adapt environments to ensure children and young people make progress.
The method for allocation of Record of Need funding is explained in the School Funding Formula report on-line here:
https://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Education/Jersey%20Funding%20Formula%20for%20Sch ools%20Report%202025.pdf