Agenda item

The report of Grant Davis (Schools Strategic Financial Support Manager) and Liz Williams (Finance Lead – High Needs Sustainability Programme) seeks to brief Schools Forum on the consultation questions and supporting information to be sent out to all schools in the autumn of 2024 on the principles and value of any block transfer from schools block to the high needs block in the 2025-26 financial year.

Liz Williams, Finance Lead – High Needs Block Sustainability, presented the report which briefed Members on the consultation questions, and supporting information, to be sent out to all schools in the autumn of 2024 on the principles and value of any block transfer from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block in the 2025-26 financial year. The following was then highlighted: 

·            The background to the report as per Paragraphs 2 to 3 were detailed, and Members were reminded that in previous years, the Schools Forum had applied a principle to any block transfer decisions that the value of the transfer should not impact on the agreed National Funding Formula (NFF) values for schools. With the High Needs Sustainability Plan including an assumption that a transfer of 1% would be made from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block for the next 4 financial years starting from 2025-26, it was recognised that it must be the subject of an annual consultation with schools and the Schools Forum, and an annual disapplication request to the Secretary of State. 

·            It was noted that a transfer of 1% would impact on NFF levels allocated to schools, therefore the consultation for 2025-26 would need to model the potential impacts.  

·            Paragraph 10 of the report was highlighted, with officers seeking the views of Members in respect of the proposed consultation questions for schools as per Appendix 1. 

In response to Member questions, officers clarified that adjustments could be applied in a number of ways, but after discussions with the Schools Funding Working Group, it was agreed that the most appropriate way would be to apply the reduction to pupil values. However, further information was needed before realistic estimates and the impacts on schools could be assessed.  

Furthermore, it was explained that if there was no support for the transfer after the consultation, the financial impact would be the difference between 0.5% and 1% which would equate to approximately £1.6 to £1.8m. Although this was acknowledged as a relatively small amount in the context of the whole High Needs Block, it was emphasised that as much investment as possible was needed in order to deliver the Safety Valve Plan as written, and Members were reassured that the Plan included a core workstream focussing on support for Mainstream Schools. It was further noted that a 1% transfer was consistent with other Local Authorities who were also involved in the Safety Valve Programme.   

Members emphasised the importance of ensuring a sustainable system for SEND in terms of resource bases and alternative provisions and suggested that officers submitted a case study to a future meeting with the impacts on schools in other Local Authorities who made a 1% transfer to the High Needs Block from the Schools Block. It was further noted that if the transfer wasn’t agreed it could jeopardise the release of funding from the Department for Education (DfE), therefore it was important that a satisfactory resolution was found.  

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was: 

Resolved: 

The Schools Forum confirmed the consultation questions and supporting information for all schools around a block transfer from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block in the 2025-26 financial year.