Funding Emotional Wellbeing Support, SEND Interventions and Staff Training in Schools

Schools increasingly recognise that emotional wellbeing is fundamental to attendance, behaviour, engagement and learning. Yet with budgets under pressure, finding the right funding route for additional support can feel challenging.

The good news is that many schools already use existing funding streams to commission emotional wellbeing support, SEND interventions, counselling, tutoring, coaching and staff training.

At Emotionally Healthy Minds, we work with headteachers, SENCOs, school business managers and Multi-Academy Trusts across Essex to help identify the most appropriate funding options for their pupils and staff.

Not sure which funding stream is right for your school?

Every school’s circumstances are different. If you’d like to discuss your pupils’ needs or explore the most appropriate funding options for tutoring, counselling, emotion coaching or staff training, we’d be happy to arrange an informal conversation.

Funding Streams

Send Funding

Many schools use their SEND funding to provide additional provision that helps children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) access education, improve engagement and achieve positive outcomes.

Emotionally Healthy Minds supports pupils with anxiety, autism, ADHD, PDA, SEMH, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), emotional regulation difficulties, dyslexia and other barriers to learning. Our emotionally informed tutoring, coaching and counselling help pupils build confidence, improve emotional wellbeing and engage more successfully with education.

Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium funding is often used to provide targeted interventions that help disadvantaged pupils overcome barriers to learning and achieve their full potential.

Schools may choose to use this funding for emotionally informed tutoring, coaching, counselling and other support that improves attendance, emotional wellbeing, confidence, engagement with learning and academic progress. Our holistic approach recognises that when children feel emotionally secure, they are better able to learn, participate and succeed.

Local Authority & Alternative Provision Funding

Emotionally Healthy Minds works alongside local authorities to deliver commissioned support for children and young people requiring additional educational or emotional provision.

Our services can form part of EOTAS packages, Alternative Provision, personalised education programmes and reintegration support. We provide tutoring, counselling, emotion coaching and tailored interventions that help children overcome barriers to education, rebuild confidence and re-engage with learning.

School Budget

Many schools commission Emotionally Healthy Minds directly through their existing school budget to meet identified priorities around emotional wellbeing, inclusion and pupil achievement.

Support may include one-to-one tutoring, emotion coaching, counselling, transition support, reintegration programmes, emotional regulation interventions, student workshops or staff training. We work collaboratively with schools to design support that complements existing provision and responds to the needs of individual pupils or whole-school communities.

Multi-Academy Trust Funding

Many Multi-Academy Trusts commission Emotionally Healthy Minds across several schools to provide a consistent and strategic approach to emotional wellbeing, inclusion and pupil support.

Trust-wide programmes may include staff training, student wellbeing workshops, parent and carer workshops, counselling, emotion coaching and emotionally informed educational support. Working across multiple schools helps establish a shared understanding of emotional health while improving outcomes for pupils throughout the Trust.

Grants and Community Funding

Some schools successfully secure funding through local charities, community organisations and grant-making bodies to provide additional emotional wellbeing and educational support for pupils.

Emotionally Healthy Minds is happy to provide quotations, service information and supporting documentation to assist with funding applications. We can also help schools identify the most appropriate support package to meet both funding criteria and pupil needs.

What can Schools fund?

Schools often commission:

Why Schools Invest

Schools commission additional support to help:

Not Sure Which Funding Route Is Right for Your School?

Whether you’re planning whole-school emotional wellbeing training, targeted SEND interventions or one-to-one support for individual pupils, we’re happy to help you explore the most appropriate funding options.

Talk to us about your school’s priorities and we’ll help identify funding routes that align with your objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What funding can schools use for emotional wellbeing support?

Many schools use a combination of funding streams to provide emotional wellbeing support, depending on the needs of their pupils and the outcomes they are seeking to achieve. Common funding routes include SEND funding, Pupil Premium, school budgets, Local Authority commissioning, Alternative Provision or EOTAS funding, Multi-Academy Trust funding and, in some cases, grants from charities or community organisations.

The most appropriate funding route will depend on your school’s circumstances, the pupils being supported and the type of intervention required.

Can SEND funding be used for counselling, coaching and tutoring?

Schools may choose to use SEND funding to commission additional provision that helps pupils with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities access education and make progress. This can include counselling, emotion coaching, tutoring and other targeted interventions where they form part of a pupil’s planned support and help remove barriers to learning.

As with all SEND spending, schools should ensure that any provision is appropriate for the individual pupil’s needs and contributes towards agreed outcomes.

Can Pupil Premium fund emotional wellbeing interventions?

Many schools use Pupil Premium funding to provide targeted support that helps disadvantaged pupils overcome barriers to learning. Depending on identified needs, this may include counselling, emotion coaching or tutoring where these approaches support improved attendance, engagement, wellbeing or educational outcomes.

Schools are responsible for deciding how Pupil Premium funding is used and should be able to demonstrate how spending supports eligible pupils.

Can schools use Alternative Provision or EOTAS funding for EBSA support?

Yes. Local Authorities and schools may commission emotional wellbeing support, tutoring, counselling and emotion coaching as part of Alternative Provision, EOTAS packages or personalised education programmes for children experiencing emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) or other barriers to attending school.

Depending on the funding arrangement, support may be commissioned directly through Emotionally Healthy Minds, funded via a Local Authority virtual wallet or arranged through the child’s school. The funding route will vary according to each child’s individual circumstances and local commissioning arrangements.

Support is tailored to each young person’s needs and aims to help rebuild confidence, reduce barriers to learning and, where appropriate, support successful reintegration into education.

Can schools commission external emotional wellbeing providers?

Yes. Many schools work with external providers to complement their existing pastoral, SEND and wellbeing provision. External specialists can provide additional expertise, targeted interventions, staff training and support for pupils whose needs extend beyond the school’s internal capacity.

Emotionally Healthy Minds works alongside schools to ensure our support complements existing provision and contributes towards each school’s wider objectives.

Can Multi-Academy Trusts commission support across multiple schools?

Yes. Many Multi-Academy Trusts commission emotional wellbeing support across several schools to provide a consistent approach to pupil wellbeing, inclusion and staff development.

Trust-wide programmes may include counselling, emotion coaching, tutoring, student workshops, parent workshops and staff training, allowing schools to benefit from shared expertise while responding to the needs of individual communities.

How can Emotionally Healthy Minds help us choose the right funding option?

Every school is different, and there is rarely a single funding solution that fits every situation. We are happy to discuss your pupils’ needs, the outcomes you are hoping to achieve and the type of support you are considering.

We can provide advice on the funding routes commonly used by schools, help you design an appropriate package of support and supply quotations or service information to assist with internal planning or funding applications. Ultimately, decisions about funding remain with your school or commissioning organisation, but we are always happy to guide you through the available options.

Get in touch to discuss this further.