Agenda item

The Schools Forum will be  provided with an update regarding the recent document issued by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), “High Needs funding 2016 to 2017” and “High needs: place change request process – Technical Note for 2016 to 2017”.

The Schools Forum is asked to:

1.    Note the content of the report.

2.    Agree that Wiltshire should use this opportunity to review the number of High Needs places at all of its schools and submit the amendments to the EFA by the deadline of the 16th November 2015.

3.    Give consideration to adopting one of the options detailed in paragraph 15.  (A different option could be selected for Resource Bases and ELPs).

Grant Davis presented the report which provided an update regarding the recent document issued by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) entitled “High Needs funding 2016 to 2017” and “High needs: place change request process – Technical Note for 2016 to 2017”.

The EFA issued the guidance in September 2015 which allowed local authorities the flexibility to make changes to the number of pre-16 places funded in maintained schools. It was noted that the changes can apply from April 2016; however the expectation was that the number of places would be amended from the start of the 2016-17 academic year.

It was noted that with academies the agreement must be more formalised, but with maintained schools they could be by LA agreement. Any changes to the place numbers for academies needed to be agreed between the local authority and the academy and would form the basis of the EFA funding.

The Wiltshire Schools Forum approach was noted. The approach had always supported the principle of ‘the money following the child’. The principle aimed to enable the High Needs funding to follow the child in order to meet their individual needs.

Five options had been provided as a part of the EFA guidance:

Option 1

Retain the status quo.

Option 2

Revise the ‘place’ numbers at each school, to the actual number of pupils within the Resource Base or ELP provision in the 2015-16 year.

Option 3

Agree a core number of funded places with each school and then fund each additional place, above the core number.

Option 4

Agree zero places at each school and simply pay for place funding monthly, based upon the actual number of High Needs pupils.

Option 5

Revise the number of ‘places’ agreed to mirror a certain point in time in the 2015-16 year to maximise the number of filled places to be funded, but retain the mechanism to recoup from top ups.

It was noted that if the zero figure is returned to the EFA, would take that as a sign that there were no high needs places at the schools. As a result the future funding from the EFA could be zero if this option were to be taken. Option four was noted as being high risk due to the EFA not confirming what their approach would be.

If there were to be any fluctuation in numbers, as a result of army rebasing for example, it was confirmed that these would be funded. A consultation was expected in spring 2016 on the future of High Needs Funding..

It was emphasised that SEND young people needed to be counted as pupils even if they weren’t in resource bases, so that the EFA knew of their existence in the future.

Resolved

1.     To note the content of the report.

2.     To accept option five in the report “Revise the number of ‘places’ agreed to mirror a certain point in time in the 2015-16 year to maximise the number of places funded, but retain the mechanism to recoup from top ups” with the following amendment:

a.     That recoupment of places continues up until the introduction of the revised place numbers

b.    To continue recoupment from maintained schools and academiesfrom April 2016

c.     To fund ELP’s based on the number from the table in appendix 1, subject to any Local Authority intelligence regarding actual numbers. If numbers drop below that within the table then recoupment will take place. If it increases then the change will be funded.