How to make the most of your school budget for SEND and mainstream pupils
School budgets are under more pressure than ever yet expectations continue to rise. Teachers and leaders are working incredibly hard to deliver high-quality teaching that meets every child’s needs, including those with SEND, often with limited resources.
It’s not easy. Balancing what’s needed with what’s affordable can feel like an impossible task. But while there’s no magic fix, there are ways to make sure every pound you spend works as hard as possible for your pupils.
By prioritising flexible, inclusive resources that can be used across the school, you can make your budget stretch further while still providing engaging, high-quality learning experiences for every child.
Here are our top tips to help you make the most of the budget you have!
- Prioritise resources that support everyone
- Choose flexible, inclusive solutions
- Think long term
- Make the most of the support and free trials offered
- Explore different payment options
- How Busy Things ticks the important boxes
1. Prioritise resources that support everyone
When funds are tight, it’s vital to focus on tools that benefit both mainstream and SEND pupils. Start by being clear about the challenges you want a resource to address, and where those challenges differ for mainstream and SEND pupils.
As a general rule of thumb, look for resources that can be used for whole-class teaching, small group work and individual interventions. This keeps teachers’ options open and avoids duplication across departments, ensuring every penny spent reaches the widest possible group of learners.
2. Choose flexible, inclusive solutions
Every class is made up of pupils with a range of different needs. Investing in resources that can be adapted for different abilities helps ensure all children can access learning in a way that works for them.
Visual, interactive platforms often work particularly well, keeping mainstream learners engaged while supporting SEND pupils through scaffolding, repetition and play-based learning. The more ways pupils can access learning, the more impact you’ll see from your investment.
3. Think long term
It’s tempting to choose quick, low-cost fixes but the best value comes from resources that grow with your school. Consider whether a subscription can be used across multiple subjects, year groups or even schools (if you’re part of a multi-academy trust) for SEND and mainstream teaching and learning.
Also factor in the hidden savings. Tools that reduce planning time or provide ready-made resources, for example, free up teachers to focus on teaching rather than admin.
4. Make the most of the support and free trials offered
Before committing budget, explore free trials to ensure a resource truly fits your pupils’ needs. Many providers allow several teachers and even pupils to try the resources for a certain period of time, often with online tutorials as additional support, so that you can see best practice from the start.
Many suppliers also provide training as part of their offering. Take advantage of these opportunities, as they will increase the value of your investment, reduce your school’s learning curve and help everyone move forward with maximum confidence.
5. Explore different payment options
Budgeting in schools is never straightforward, so it’s worth checking whether suppliers offer flexible payment plans. Some will allow instalments instead of upfront payments, and certain resources can be funded through ringfenced allocations such as Pupil Premium if they support disadvantaged pupils.
It’s always worth asking the question – even a small amount of flexibility can make a big difference.
6. How Busy Things ticks the important boxes
Busy Things is designed specifically for primary schools and offers great value by combining high-quality, inclusive content with whole-school access:
- One subscription for the whole primary curriculum – over 1,600 engaging, curriculum-linked activities across 14 subjects, all in one place. Suitable for ages 3–11, plus SEND departments working at Key Stage 3 (or equivalent) levels.
- Inclusive support for every learner – providing a selection of activity types to appeal to your pupils’ particular learning preferences. Busy Things adds to these all the time. Recent additions include Brain breaks and AI-based Interview activities.
- Differentiated activities – easily set tasks at different levels or assign different activities for groups, so every pupil, no matter their ability, is given work that is at the right level for them.
- Highly visual and interactive content – perfect for pupils who learn best through play, exploration and repetition, teachers can use the activities for whole-class teaching, small group work and 1-to-1 support.
- Teacher time-savers – benefit from teacher tools that help you assign and mark activities, and create tailor-made worksheets in minutes.
- Free trial – try it out for free and at your own pace with your colleagues and pupils before you make any decisions, so you’ve complete peace of mind that it’s the right choice. Prefer a guided tour? An online tutorial with our in-house primary school teacher will set you on the right path!
- Tailored pricing – with special pricing for small and special schools, and MATs, along with discounts for multi-year subscriptions. Many schools also use Pupil Premium to fund their subscription.
Summary and next steps
Stretching a school budget isn’t easy, especially when every decision impacts real children. But by focusing on flexible, inclusive and comprehensive resources, you can make informed choices that benefit the widest possible range of learners.
Interested to see how Busy Things can help your budget go further? Start your no-obligation, 28-day free trial today and get ready to explore our world of engaging, curriculum-linked activities for every learner.