To approve the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) high needs budget for 2021/22 and the implementation plan for the improvements to the high needs matrix as recommended by Schools Forum.

That:

1. a balanced high needs budget for 2021/22 having regard to the views of Schools Forum be approved as follows;

(a)       Complex needs funding £2,285,745;

(b)       Independent special schools £1,650,000;

(c)       Special school top-up funding £3,549,650;

(d)       Special school commissioned places £1,643,000;

(e)       Post-16 top-up funding £1,500,000

(f)        High needs contingency £0;

(g)       Mainstream school top-up funding £2,147,525;

(h)       Nurture provision, from September 2021  £116,667;

(i)        SEN protection scheme for primary and secondary schools £435,000;

(j)        H3 Home, Hospital and Hub £432,500;

(k)       Autism and Language units top-up funding £362,432;

(l)        Pupil Referral Unit support fund £100,000;

(m)     Early years top-up funding £175,000;

(n)       Autism and Language Units commissioned places £336,000;

(o)       Pupil Referral Service top-up funding 65 pupils at £6,700 for the summer term and 40 pupils at £9,048 for autumn and spring terms i.e. total top-up funding £392,578

(p)       Pupil Referral Service commissioned places at 65 summer term and 50 autumn and spring £562,500;

(q)       SEN support services

(i)            Additional Needs Management £203,750;

(ii)          Complex Learning Communications £111,550;

(iii)         Equalities team –inclusion £263,937;

(iv)         Hearing Impaired Team £407,500;

(v)          Managed moves £5,000;

(vi)         Business support £73,000;

(vii)        DSG Services £125,900;

(r)        Charges and income

(i)            Excluded pupils (AWPU)/ Hospital  -£176,000;

(ii)          Local authority recoupment    -£200,000;

(iii)         Transfer from schools block   -£300,000;

(iv)         Transfer from Central services block -£75,000.

(s)         Teachers Pay and Pension Grant allocations £367,000

(t)          Beacon College top-up funding for 13 new pupils £101,400

(u)        funding for a maximum 20 places for Beacon College be provided at a cost of £200,000 as agreed with the Department for Education;

(v)         and the remaining £70,000 provisionally reserved for Beacon College place funding be allocated for out-county independent special school places

2. the school financial contribution to the SEN threshold costs within the SEN protection scheme be limited to £150 x the number on roll as at the October 2020 census for the financial year 2021/22

3. The implementation timetable for the new high needs matrix be approved as follows;

•       The revised high needs matrix be adopted from April 2021

•       All new Education Health Care (EHC) Plans will have funding allocated using the updated tariff levels, including those for children and young people attending specialist settings.

•       All children and young people reaching ‘phase transfer’ points of Reception, Year 6 and Year 11 will be moved to the revised HNM with the appropriate tariff levels applied.

•       All EHC Plans will be moved to the new funding matrix within five years.

•       All non EHC Plan Top up Funding applications will be allocated funding using revised HNM.

4. The new tariff values be applied to post-16 contracts for the new academic year with effect from 1^st August 2021

5. The new tariff values be approved as below from April 2021:

6. As presented to the Schools Forum on 19^th March, the funding originally identified to provide for the Minimum Funding Guarantee for special schools (£100k) and to smooth the introduction of the new tariff funding proposals (£52k) is better allocated as follows;

a)           to avoid the minimum funding guarantee for special schools by adding 3% on the tariffs D-F as included in recommendation 5 above at a cost of £80,000;

b)          that additional funding of £11,000 be allocated for PRU top-ups to ensure that the PRU is fully funded for top-up D2 at £9,324 per pupil;

c)           That the new tariff C4 be confirmed at £ 5,988 which includes an additional £108 at a cost of £11,000 to reduce the funding differential between tariff C4 and tariff D1;

d)          that the remaining £50,000 of funding be added to the out county special school.

1.    Schools Forum chose not to make any amendments to the proposed high needs budget at their meeting on 19^th March and supported the budget proposals and new tariffs set out in the consultation paper. In addition Schools Forum accepted the proposals presented to the Budget Working Group to add an additional 3% onto tariffs D-F to avoid having to implement the Minimum Funding guarantee for special schools. Any amendments would need to have regard to available funding, relevant regulations and the local authority’s statutory duties in supporting children and young people with high needs. It should be noted that the Budget Working Group has considered the proposals set out in this report and not suggested any improvements.