Cluster funding

We are piloting the cluster model in the Central locality of the city from September 2025. This pilot includes the following schools:

• Abbey Hulton Primary School
• Birches Head Academy
• Carmountside Primary School
• Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent
• Eaton Park Academy
• Etruscan Primary School
• Forest Park Primary School
• Grove Academy
• Hamilton Academy
• Hanley St Luke's CofE Aided Primary School
• Haywood Academy
• Holden Lane Primary School
• Jackfield Infant School
• Kingsland CofE Academy
• Manor Abbey School
• Merit Pupil Referral Unit
• Moorpark Junior School
• New Ford Academy
• Northwood Broom Academy
• Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Primary Academy
• Saint Nathaniel's Academy
• Smallthorne Primary Academy
• Sneyd Green Primary Academy
• St George and St Martin's Catholic Academy
• St Mark's CE (A) Primary School
• St Peter's Catholic Academy
• Stoke-on-Trent College
• The Excel Academy
• Waterside Primary School

If your school is not on this list then we will update you in due course of our plans to expand this trial to other parts of the city. 

Requests for funding from the Cluster at Cluster Meetings can be made on either for either Individual Pupil Need or for Wider Project Based Work. 

For a request for funding for an Individual Pupil Need, a referral will be submitted to the Cluster in advance of the Cluster Meeting for consideration. This referral will include: 

• An Individual Pupil Need Referral Form
• A Costed Provision Map (using the local area Costed Provision Document)
• Any other relevant supporting documents

A review of the allocated funding will need to be made within at least one year of allocation. Review dates will be established within the Cluster Meeting on allocation of funding and using the assigned review paperwork. 

For request for funding for Project-Based Work, a referral will be submitted to the Cluster in advance of the Cluster Meeting for consideration. This referral will include: 

• Project-Based Work Referral Form
• Any other relevant supporting documents

The total funding which will be allocated for the cluster funding approach will be based upon the current spend for Higher Needs Funding plus a proposed additional amount to account for the projected increase. This will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Each cluster will also receive an allocation of funding based on a reduction in the growth of spend on Independent Specialist provision for children in the locality.

Within each Cluster, one Headteacher will be nominated as the chair for the Cluster. They will also attend Citywide Meetings to support with the strategic oversight of the funding, quality assurance and impact. 

The council will provide a team around the cluster approach. This will consist of staff from educational psychology, SENMAS, and Inclusive Learning Services. They will provide support to all Clusters through attendance and chairing at Locality Cluster Meetings, Quality Assurance Visits to Settings and attendance at City Cluster Meetings. They will provide guidance and support to all members of the Clusters. 

SENCOs and/or inclusion leads from each setting in the cluster are asked to attend each meeting. SENCOs are vital to this model in order to provide peer support, expertise and challenge to other schools. You will be expected to offer solutions based on your experience and what has worked in your setting. 

It is expected that as the cluster approach grows we will also have a representative from health, social care and early help, along with a commissioning colleague from the local authority. 

Assigned admin support will coordinate meetings, collate and distribute referrals and reviews, and support with record and data. 

Meetings will be held from 09:30 to 13:00 once per half term. Meetings will be held virtually but depending on cluster schools feedback the opportunity to hold at least one meeting face top face may be carried out each academic year. 

The purpose of the meetings is: 

• Peer mentoring and solution focused discussions
• Allocation of Cluster Funding for referrals based on either individual pupils or wider project-based work
• Reviewing the impact of cluster funding already allocated
• Allocation of exceptional needs funding for existing EHCPs, where in line with Section F of the plan, the school is stating they need additional support
• Relevant reviews of funding cases
• Relevant promotion of services and professionals and practitioners

Autumn 1: Thursday 16 October 2025 

Autumn 2: Thursday 11 December 2025 

Spring 1: Thursday 05 February 2026 

Spring 2: Thursday 19 March 2026 

Summer 1: Thursday 14 May 2026 

Summer 2: Thursday 09 July 2026 

The process for application and issuing of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCPs) will continue in the same process that already exists.

However, any request for changes of funding for an EHCP will be referred to the Cluster Meeting to ensure that they reflect the needs of the child, and that any funding is effectively and efficiently allocated.

If you subsequently need to access an EHC Needs Assessment for a child who has access Individual Pupil Need support or funding, the paperwork submitted through this process can be used as your request for an EHCNA.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has introduced the Inclusive Environments Capital Fund, a new funding stream to help mainstream education settings create more inclusive learning environments for children and young people with SEND, particularly those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Eligible settings can apply for a one-off grant of up to £15,000 to improve indoor or outdoor spaces used for teaching and learning. The aim is to reduce barriers to inclusion and increase access to mainstream placements for pupils with high needs.

What can be funded?

Projects may include:

• Sensory spaces or circuits
• Accessible outdoor equipment
• Inclusive sanitary provision (e.g. toilets, changing facilities)
• Acoustic improvements
• Restorative or breakout spaces
• Spatial sequencing and wayfinding (e.g. ramps, handrails)
• Access to nature (e.g. direct outdoor access from classrooms)
• Lighting, thermal comfort, and ventilation enhancements

What isn’t eligible?

Funding cannot be used for:

• Revenue costs such as staffing, training, or electric vehicles
• Maintenance work (covered by DFC, CIF, or SCA)
• Higher education institutions or settings for those aged 25+
• Individual mobility equipment (e.g. wheelchairs), though capital installations like ceiling hoists are permitted
• Settings that have already received High Needs Capital Grant funding, including those involved in Enhanced Resource Provision projects

Application Process

• Applications must be submitted using the relevant Cluster referral form. Settings should contact their cluster for guidance and access to the form.
• Applications will be reviewed by the Cluster Panel, which will assess each proposal against key criteria including strategic fit, quality of design, deliverability, value for money, environmental impact, and stakeholder engagement. Recommendations will be made to the Local Authority’s Place, Planning and Sufficiency Board.

Timeline

• 1 September 2025 – Applications open
• 31 December 2025 – Deadline for submission
• January 2026 – Cluster Panels assess applications
• February 2026 – Funding decisions communicated
• Spring Term 2026 onwards – Projects commence
• August 2026 – Latest date for project completion and quality assurance visit
• September 2026 – Final evaluation of impact by Cluster Panel representatives

Funding and Evaluation

Funding will be released after successful completion of the project, a quality assurance visit, and submission of paid invoices. Evaluation will include both quantitative and qualitative evidence of impact, such as increased access for learners with EHCPs, improved attendance, or wellbeing outcomes.