The Forum will be asked to consider the Schools Budgets for 2022-23 and make relevant decisions using the decisions matrix which is to follow.
Minutes:
As this was a virtual meeting, the Chair suggested that it may be easier for Forum Members to use the ‘raise your hand’ function in Microsoft Teams if they were not in agreement to the decisions which were to be made in accordance with the Decisions matrix sheet.
The Chair led the Forum though the Decision Matrix [TM1] [TM2] 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 £422,409,451.
Central Schools Services Block
2. Agree as follows the Section B expenditure for the Central Schools Services:
i) Education Welfare Service £0.203 million
ii) Asset Management £0.189 million
iii) Statutory/Regulatory duties £0.682 million
iv) Admissions £0.447 million
v) Servicing of Schools Forum £0.003 million
vi) Centrally retained Teachers
additional pension costs £0.110 million
3. 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 £0.058 million; and
iii) Prudential Borrowing at £0.133 million.
4. Note the Local Authority Decision (Section A) to set the budget at £0.409 million for central copyright licences for 2022-23.
5. Note that these allocations allow a transfer of £0.227 million to support the high needs block.
Schools Block – Delegated Budget
6. Agree to apply all the funding factors at the 2022-23 NFF rates.
7. Agree to note the impact of the Sparsity factor and the increased number of schools now eligible.
8. Agree to set the Minimum Funding Guarantee at a level of +2.0%.
9. Agree that the Growth fund be set at £0.725 million split as £0.1 million Infant Class Size and £0.625 million basic need.
10. Agree to transfer up to a maximum of £1.642m (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 £54,646
ii) FSM Eligibility £28,917
iii) Trade Union £70,000
iv) EMAS & Travellers £564,508 (Primary only)
v) Behaviour support £664,669 (Primary only)
vi) Maternity supply £571,124
vii) School Improvement £229,614*
12. That agreement for the de-delegation of 11 vii) above is given by the maintained Primary Heads representatives present subject to there being a review of School Improvement services in the ensuing year.
High Needs Block
13. Agree that top up values for Named Pupil Allowances, Extended Learning Programmes, Resource Bases and Special Schools are to remain at the 2021-22 values and note the proposed consultation and review of High Needs formula proposed for the first quarter of 2022-23.
14. Note the pressures on the high needs block for 2022-23 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 continuation of recovery actions feeding into the DSG Management Plan and that this will be brought to a future Schools Forum meeting as part of the High Needs Recovery update report.
16. Provide views on the approach and approve the approach to deploy supplementary funding in 2022-23 and include this in the proposed banding review starting this year.
Early Years Block
17. Agree to increase the current rate of 2-year-old funding to £5.69 and 3 and 4-year-old funding to £4.42 per hour.
18. Note that pay inflation will be added at 2% to the central early years’ teams.
19. Note that Inclusion Support Fund be set at £0.357 million as in the 2021-22 year and agree that the early years block to fund the Inclusion Support Fund at £0.180 million to increase support available in line with the SEN strategy around prevention.
20. Agree up to £800 per child for 2022-23 from the Disability Access Fund – the local authority to passport the funding.
21. Agree that if any significant increase in DfE funding be notified, the Early Years Inclusion fund should be increased accordingly during the financial year, to ensure that at least 95% of funding is passed through to providers.