Definition
Resourced Provision is a specialist unit attached to a mainstream school for pupils with a particular type of SEND. Pupils benefit from specialist input within the unit while accessing mainstream classes where appropriate. The model sits between mainstream and special school placement and is funded by the LA above the standard SEN notional budget.
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- A specialist unit attached to a mainstream school for pupils with a particular type of SEND.
- LA-commissioned for a named cohort (most commonly autism, SLCN, HI, VI, physical, or SEMH).
- Typically 8–16 places, designated lead teacher, specialist TAs, and a base room.
- Pupils are on the mainstream school's roll but split time between unit and mainstream classes.
- Named in Section I of the EHCP; sits between mainstream and special school placement and is funded above the standard SEN notional budget.
Resourced Provision is commissioned by the LA, usually for a named cohort: most commonly autism, SLCN, hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical disability, or SEMH. The unit typically has 8–16 places, a designated lead teacher, specialist TAs trained in the relevant need, and a base room. Pupils are on the mainstream school's roll but spend a planned proportion of their week in the unit and a planned proportion in mainstream classes.
The strength of the model is the dual access. A child with autism in a resourced provision gets the structured, sensory-managed, predictable environment of the unit for the parts of the day where mainstream would overwhelm, and the peer-rich mainstream environment for the parts where they can thrive. The proportions are typically reviewed termly and adjusted as the child develops.
What parents should ask:
- Who leads the unit and what is their qualification?
- How many staff are based in the unit and how are they deployed across the cohort?
- What proportion of the week does each pupil spend in the unit versus mainstream, and on what basis is that decided?
- What is the entry and exit criteria?
- What is the unit's record of pupil transitions to mainstream / specialist placements at the end of primary or secondary?
Resourced Provision is named in Section I of an EHCP. The LA can name it instead of a fully specialist school where the child's profile fits the cohort and where dual access is in the child's interests. Sometimes parents prefer fully mainstream (because the unit is some distance away); sometimes they prefer specialist (because the unit's mainstream half is too much).
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside Resourced Provision.
Additionally Resourced Provision(ARP)
Local authority-commissioned places within a mainstream school for pupils with EHCPs and specific types of need. Funded above the standard SEN notional budget.
Mainstream School
A standard primary or secondary school that admits all children, including those with SEND. Most children with SEND attend mainstream schools, with or without an EHCP.
Special School
A school that exclusively educates pupils with EHCPs and is designed around their specific needs. Placements are normally named in Section I and funded by the local authority.
Section I (EHCP)
The section of an EHCP naming the school or type of school the child will attend. Parents can request a specific school, and the LA must name it unless narrow legal grounds apply.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page during the Section I conversation, often when an LA has proposed Resourced Provision and parents are weighing it against full mainstream or full specialist. Searches include "Resourced Provision SRP versus mainstream", "autism resource base SEND", and "Section I Resourced Provision". A Beaakon advocate can assess whether the proposed unit is the right fit, visit alongside you, and challenge or support the LA's Section I proposal accordingly.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.