Funding your child's place at Uncommon

Every child deserves a space where they feel safe, understood and celebrated for who they are.

We know how exhausting it can be to fight for the right support.

At Uncommon, we want to make sure cost is never the reason a young person misses out.

Uncommon can be funded through:

education routes (EHCP, EOTAS, Alternative Provision),
benefits (DLA, Carer’s Allowance, Short Breaks),
self-funding (flexible pricing and Universal Credit discount).

We map services to EHCP outcomes and provide documentation for reviews, EOTAS packages and tribunals.

Educational Funding

Uncommon already supports many children and young people via schools and local authorities, under section F of EHCPs or EOTAS or as Alternative Provision.

Uncommon aligns directly with EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) outcomes across cognition & learning, communication & interaction, social emotional and mental health and sensory needs.

EHCP budgets can fund Uncommon where our services are specified in Section F to deliver outcomes across cognition & learning, communication & interaction, SEMH and sensory needs. We provide reports that map programmes to EHCP outcomes for assessments, annual reviews, emergency reviews and tribunal.

We are experienced in producing documentation and reports mapping our services to EHCP outcomes. Families and advocates can use these reports to secure Uncommon as a specific provider during an EHC assessment, annual review, emergency review or tribunal.

How we can help

Outcome-mapped programme outlines
Engagement/progress summaries
Language/templates for review or tribunal
Book support [link to CTA at bottom] to add Uncommon to your EHCP.

We can help whether you’re yet to apply for an EHCP, requesting a review or are appealing at tribunal.

When a child with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) cannot attend school, local authorities can provide an EOTAS package (Education Other than At School) under Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) funds education for children with an EHCP who cannot attend school. Because Uncommon maps to EHCP outcomes, our services can be commissioned within EOTAS - via direct payments or local authority commissioning.

Uncommon are experienced in producing documentation and reports that map our services to EHCP outcomes and have full policies in place to meet commissioning requirements.

EOTAS packages are reviewed regularly through monitoring visits and annual reviews. Uncommon can provide evidence of engagement and outcomes to support this.

How we can help

Outcome-mapped programme outlines
Commissioning-ready policies/processes
Language/templates for review or tribunal
Engagement/progress summaries
Book support [link to CTA at bottom] to add Uncommon to your EOTAS package.

We can help whether you’re yet to apply for EOTAS, are being reviewed or are appealing at tribunal.

Under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, schools/local authorities must provide education for pupils who cannot attend school or their attendance significantly drops. This includes cases of school refusal, anxiety, or medical absence and applies regardless of whether a child has a diagnosis or SEN needs.

That means school and local authorities can fund places at Uncommon as Alternative Provision. Uncommon’s clubs, mentoring, and courses provide a safe, neurodivergent-led environment supporting young people to engage, connect and learn - all while meeting their social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

Uncommon have policies in place to meet safeguarding, due diligence and reporting requirements to be commissioned as alternative provision.

Whilst schools can initiate funding Uncommon as alternative provision themselves, it works best when parents request Uncommon as the preferred provider. This makes it harder for schools or local authorities to default to generic or unsuitable alternatives. If you’d like to do this, we can provide wording and reports to support your request.

How we can help

Commissioning-ready policies/processes
Uncommon mapped to support engagement, connection & SEMH
Language/templates for parents to request Uncommon as preferred provider
Book support [link to CTA at bottom] to discuss requesting Uncommon as a preferred provider for Alternative Provision.

"He had EHCP funding, but he got to a point where he was in school for only 30 minutes a day and there was no point paying for a TA. We redirected the budget to one-to-one mentoring instead"

Parent of autistic child (10)

“This type of support should be available to kids who are unable to attend school and who have EHCP because of the framework of the legal provision of education…although it’s not curriculum based, they are learning so much in terms of maths, collective thought, building structures in minecraft…there’s so much that is tick tick tick as an educator.

I am working with Uncommon to get it included in the EOTAS package using the full report and evidence that Uncommon offers which I really appreciate. What I’ve realised is that if I don’t push this stuff to be part of packages, who is going to?”

Former teacher, parent of autistic child

Benefit funding

Uncommon already supports many children and young people via schools and local authorities, under section F of EHCPs or EOTAS or as Alternative Provision.

The majority of our families receive Disability Living Allowance for their neurodivergent children, and many use this to fund sessions at Uncommon.

DLA is

Available even without a formal diagnosis - what matters is your child’s needs.
Not means tested (your income doesn’t matter)
Often the gateway to other benefits like Carer’s allowance and Short Breaks.

Because DLA is self-managed, you can choose how to use it to best support your child - including funding safe, meaningful activities like Uncommon. Because we know needs change month to month, our pricing is designed to be flexible so you are not locked into months where DLA funding is needed elsewhere. Credits can roll over, sessions can be paused and tasters can be rebooked for free.

It is easy for families to minimise what they do to accommodate their children’s additional needs and therefore miss out on funding they are entitled to like DLA. It is important to know what is considered when applying for DLA. Click here for a super handy guide from Cerebra with clear instructions on what they will take into account and how that relates to common neurological differences.

If you care for your child for 35+ hours per week, you may be eligible for the Carer’s Allowance state benefit. Many of our parents qualify after reducing or leaving work to care for their neurodivergent child.

Carer’s Allowance is means-tested, but the earnings threshold (£196/week) is calculated after allowable expenses such as childcare or clubs - including Uncommon. These expenses can discount weekly earnings by 50% - meaning carer’s allowance can be available for those earning up to £392/week.

Here is a handy guide to carer’s allowance.

Please also check the government website for any updates to Carer’s allowance.

How we can help:

We can provide proof of costs
We can supply letters confirming participation

Some local authorities offer Short Breaks funding to give carers respite. Parents can use this funding for activities that give them a break while their child is safely supported - including Uncommon’s weekly clubs, courses or holiday camps.

Eligibility varies by local authority, but families with an EHCP and/or DLA often have stronger cases. Ask your local SEND team or social care team about their Short Breaks policy.

How we can help:

We can show how Uncommon aligns with respite aims

"He gets DLA so I use that for Uncommon. I had to pause when he needed private healthcare, but the flexibility meant we could come back without losing our place."

Parent of PDA child (10)

“This was something I could leave her to do with people who know what they are doing just so I can have time to sit down and have a cup of tea.

Uncommon has really plugged a gap for many SEND parents, who are like 'I know I need to do something for my child, but all the enableability sessions are booked up' ”

Parent of two autistic children (8, 12)

Flexible Self-funding

Our flexible memberships include family and Universal Credit discounts, easy swaps or pauses, and extras like community access and role model talks — all offering exceptional value.

If you’re funding sessions yourself, you’ll find Uncommon is more cost-effective than private clinical support and other mainstream activities or after school clubs.

Our membership doesn’t just cover clubs - young people typically spend 5–7 hours a week in our community servers. That’s over 20 hours of safe, social connection per month, making it comparable to multiple after-school clubs, but with the bonus of a supportive, neurodivergent-led environment.

Families can also share multi-club memberships between siblings, so the more sessions you access as a family, the more affordable Uncommon becomes.

“I was worried what would happen if she didn’t want to do stuff, but it turned out the pricing structures were super flexible about it all and occasionally if we had a bad bit where she didn’t turn up, Uncommon were flexible about the money. I had this sense it didn’t matter if there were weeks when we couldn’t manage it, it was very accessible”

Parent of autistic, PDA, ADHD child (11)

“My son responded incredibly well to the courses provided by Uncommon comparing to 1:1 "help" from children's psychologist or general books about ASD as they are low demand and no pressure.”

Parent of autistic child (10)

“There are times when we couldn’t make it and we got refunds or were able to swap sessions”

Parent of two autistic children (8, 12)

“Art therapy she struggled with because it is a bit more focused but I can see she is using mentoring in a therapeutic way. It really suits the way her brain works…they are doing that parallel play, they are in minecraft and building things…she very quickly identified that this is safe, this is someone who is going to listen to me, so she draws things out. It’s not always serious stuff, it’s sometimes like who is your favourite pokemon, but that freedom to express what is on her mind, means that sometimes more serious stuff like having friends naturally comes up”

Parent of autistic, ADHD child (8)

Next Steps

Funding can feel overwhelming - but you don’t have to navigate it alone. We’ve helped families secure support through EHCPs, direct payments and personal budgets, and we can point you to resources to strengthen your case.

Signup for Spring 2024

Funding FAQs

Useful sources

SEND Code of Practice (2015) – Personal Budgets: what they are, how they’re delivered, and when you can request them. GOV.UK Assets
The Special Educational Needs (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014 – legal basis and when Direct Payments can be refused Legislation.gov.uk
Gov.uk guidance – overviews of personal budgets and Direct Payments. GOV.UK
EOTAS explainers - how Personal Budgets interface with EOTAS. senlegal.co.uk
Guide to DLA: https://cerebra.org.uk/download/disability-living-allowance-dla-guide/
Government website on carer’s allowance: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility
Guidance on Carer’s allowance - https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/financial-support/carer-s-allowance/carer-s-allowance-and-the-earnings-limit/ ‘

Uncommon

Funding your child's place at Uncommon

Educational Funding

Funding Uncommon through your EHCP

Funding Uncommon via EOTAS

Uncommon as Alternative Provision

Benefit funding

Accessing Disability Living Allowance

Accessing Carer's Allowance

Accessing Short Break Funding

Flexible Self-funding

Our flexible memberships include family and Universal Credit discounts, easy swaps or pauses, and extras like community access and role model talks — all offering exceptional value.

Families on Universal Credit

Flexible Pricing

Providing Value for Money

Next Steps

Funding FAQs

What if we don’t have any funding yet?

What if we’re still waiting for an EHCP, or in the middle of the process?

What kind of evidence do you provide to support funding applications?

Can Uncommon help with LA monitoring for home education?

What proof do I need for discounts?

Useful sources