Schools Forum will be asked to consider the School Budgets for 2023-24 and make relevant decisions using the decisions matrix.
Minutes:
The Chair led the Forum though the Decision Matrix and the decisions as detailed below were made:
Resolved: That Schools Forum
Overall budget
1. Agree to set the overall Schools Budget at the level of the DSG Settlement – namely £452,296,572.
Central Schools Services Block
2. Note the Local Authority Decision (Section A) to set the budget at £0.457 million for central copyright licences for 2023-24.
3. Agree as follows the Section B expenditure for the Central Schools Services:
i) Education Welfare Service £0.221 million
ii) Asset Management £0.206 million
iii) Statutory/Regulatory duties £0.743 million
iv) Admissions £0.474 million
v) Servicing of Schools Forum £0.003 million
vi) Centrally retained Teachers
additional pension costs £0.127 million
4. Agree as follows the central spend on historic commitments (Section C):
i) Funding for LAC Personal Education Plans be funded at £0.103 million;
ii) Funding for Child Protection Officer in Schools Adviser at £0.056 million; and
iii) Prudential Borrowing at £0.076 million.
5. Note that these allocations allow a transfer of £0.133 million to support the high needs block.
Schools Block – Delegated Budget
6. Agree to apply all the funding factors at the 2023-24 NFF rates.
7. Note the stability and impact of the Sparsity factor.
8. Agree to set the Minimum Funding Guarantee at a level of +0.5%.
9. Agree that the Growth fund be set at £0.533 million split as £0.1 million Infant Class Size and £0.433 million basic need.
10. Agree to transfer up to a maximum of £1.716 million (0.5%) from School’s block to High Needs block.
11. Agree that the budgets for De-delegation of central services be as follows:
i) Access Budget Software £57,105
ii) FSM Eligibility £30,218
iii) Trade Union £28,064 (total budget academies
& Maintained is £76,000)
iv) EMAS & Travellers £589,911 (Primary only)
v) Behaviour support £694,579 (Primary only)
vi) Maternity supply £606,825
vii) School Improvement (LAMB) £459,000
High Needs Block
12. Set the Minimum Funding Guarantee for Special Schools uplift at 3% between 2021-22 and 2023-24 as required by DfE guidance.
13. Set the 2023-24 funding for Special Schools to increase by 3.4% (place and top up) in line with mainstream schools as per revised DfE Guidance of 11 January 2023 (Note the use of the DfE’s Supplementary funding grant of £2.9 million).
14. Note the pressures on the high needs block for 2023-24 and the potential options to reduce the shortfall against high needs budgets including agreeing a transfer from Schools Block to balance the high needs pressures.
15. Note the investment from the Local Authority’s transformation reserve of £1.6m. This will pre-date and align with Delivering Better Value funding from the DfE.
16. Provide views on the approach to deploy the additional High Needs Block funding in 2023-24, funding the Special Schools minimum funding guarantee and invest in early help, prevention and long term recovery.
Early Years Block
17. Agree to increase the current rate of 2-year-old funding to £5.75 and 3 and 4-year-old funding to £4.68 per hour.
18. Note that pay inflation will be added at 9% to the central early years’ teams reflecting the above inflation pay increase in 2022-23 and the 4.5% estimate for 2023-24 financial years.
19. Note the deprivation and rurality increase to reflect current spending levels at £300,000.
20. Note that all other funding factors remain at current 2022-23 levels or funded levels.
21. Note that Inclusion Support Fund will be set at £0.359 million and that the Early Years block is to fund the Early Years Inclusion Support Fund at the current level and the High Needs Block to allocate £0.180 million to increase support available in line with the SEN strategy around prevention.
22. Agree up to £828 per child for 2023-24 from the Disability Access Fund – the local authority to passport the funding.
23. Agree to the uplift in funding for Pupil Premium to be set at £0.62 per hour – the local authority to passport the funding.
24. Agree to ensure that at least 95% of funding is passed through to providers.