To approve school forum’s recommended budget proposals for school budgets, central school services and early years within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2024/25.

That:   Herefordshire’s school funding proposals for 2024/25 be approved as set out in appendix 3.

1.         The Schools Forum agreed in October 2017 to the strategy to implement the NFF from 2018/19. However due to national economic pressures the announced DSG funding does not provide sufficient funding to pass through to schools the full National Funding Formula entitlement and a transfer to the high needs block. In addition to the council’s preferred option an alternative has been considered by the Budget Working Group (BWG) on 12 January 2024, as follows:

•           Option B: full allocation of NFF with no transfer to high needs block and no gains cap

2.         Recommendations were published by the BWG in a supplementary report to the Schools Forum for consideration on 19 January 2024.