To approve the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) net high needs budget for 2023/24 and amendments made to the Schools Budget 2023/24 regarding revised basic education funding for primary and secondary pupils as part of the validation process with DfE as recommended by Schools Forum

That:

1. A deficit high needs budget of £0.64m for 2023/24 be recommended to the Cabinet Member for Children’s and Families as follows;

a. Complex needs funding

i. base funding at the agreed 3/7th funding share £2,285,745

ii. an expected overspend of £400,000

b. Independent special schools £3,550,000

c. Special schools

i. Local authority school places £1,740,000

ii. Additional place funding at £1,000 for 390 places £390,000

iii. Special school top-up funding plus 3.4% inflation £3,903,000

iv. tariff matrix amendments re behaviour £50,000

v. Additional place funding at £256.40 for 390 places to provide an additional 1.25% inflationary increase and to note a corresponding increase to the high needs deficit £100,000

d. Post-16 top-up funding £2,100,000

e. Mainstream school top-up funding includes 3.4% inflation £3,630,000

f. Nurture provision

i. 5 primary and 1 secondary schools full year costs £372,100

ii. North Herefordshire outreach summer term (5/12th) £10,417

iii. North Herefordshire outreach autumn/spring terms subject to review by BWG at £14,583

iv. secondary pilot at Earl Mortimer College for three years until March 2026 at £40,000

g. Resource bases at Hampton Dene and Bishops schools

i. 56 places at £6,204 including MFG at 3.4% £347,425

ii. 56 top-up tariff funding at £8,272 including MFG £463,230

h. New provision Autism and Language Units from June 2023 including set-up costs

i. 4 bases x 8 places at £6,000 per place £160,000

ii. 32 top-up funding at £8,000 average per pupil £213,333

iii. Additional per pupil funding as not in October census 32 pupils at average £4,500 £120,000

iv. Inflation at 3.4% to comply with MFG £16,773

i. New Provision – additional 10 places for special schools through offsite accommodation

i. special school 10 places at £11,000 per place £110,000

ii. special school 10 top-ups at £8,000 per pupil £80,000

iii. 9 full time and 6 part-time reception/ nursery places commissioned from April 23 £132,000

iv. 12 top-up funding at £10,500 from September £73,500

v. Running costs £30k pa from June 23 £25,000

vi Set-up costs £5,000

v. to note the detailed cost estimate is £140,000 greater than the initial estimate

contributing a further £140,000 to the deficit budget

j. Early years top-up funding £150,000

k. Pupil Referral Service

i. 60 places including 10 places at Dinedor at £10,000 per place £600,000

ii. Teachers Pension Grant at £660 per place and £340 MFG per place £60,000

iii. top-up funding 60 pupils at tariff band D2 £573,120

iv. less assumed income recovery from schools £200,000

v. Phasing out TLR allowances, three years from September 2021 £35,000

vi. Temporary split site allowance whilst on split sites £38,000

vii. former Pupil Referral Unit support fund deleted as not used £0

v. H3 Home, Hospital and Hub top-up 50 half time places at £5,500

including TPG at £330 and MFG at £170 at total cost £275,000

vi. 25 tariffs at tariff C4 £6,168 plus 3.4% inflation £159,443

vii. the remaining 25 half time places recharged to schools as the

school receives full funding for the pupil whilst on the school roll

l. SEN protection scheme for primary and secondary schools with a cap

on a school’s contribution set at £175 x NOR (at Oct 2022) £616,000

m. High needs contingency/contribution to reserves £109,038

n. SEN support services including 3.4% inflation MFG uplift as marked *

i. Additional Needs Management* £217,000

ii. Complex Learning Communications* £118,803

iii. Equalities team – inclusion* £281,100

iv. Hearing Impaired Team* £434,000

v. Managed moves £5,000

vi. Business support £59,000

vii. DSG Services* £134,100

viii. Behaviour Support Service – match schools de-delegation £37,500

o. Charges and income

i. Local authority recoupment -£100,000

ii. Transfer from schools block -£616,000

iii. Transfer from Central services block -£80,000

p. the revised per pupil values for the schools budget for 2023/24, be approved as follows;

i Primary per pupil value increased from £3,361 to £3,376

ii Secondary Key Stage 3 per pupil value increased from £4,738 to £4,760

iii Secondary Key Stage 4 per pupil value increased from £5,340 to £5,366

1.The Budget Working Group (BWG) and Schools Forum have been consulted on the proposed budget plan and recommends the deficit budget to the Cabinet Member for approval. No alternatives have been considered as it is a requirement of the Childrens Act (2014) that children’s needs must be met regardless of funding availability. The proposed budget is considered to minimise the increase in the cumulative high needs deficit due to the service demand pressures exceeding the funding allocated by government whilst investing in measures designed to reduce longer term pressures and in line with the agreed deficit management plan.

2. Additionally the DfE has specified a Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) of 3.4% to apply to special schools for both tariff and place funding which further erodes any value in the development of alternative options. Any amendments would need to have regard to available funding, relevant regulations and the council’s statutory duties in supporting children and young people with high needs. None have been identified. It should be noted that the Budget Working Group supported the proposals as set out in this report at their meeting on 3 March 2023. Following extensive debate Schools Forum agreed at teir meeting on 17 March 2023 to recommend to increase of £256.40 per place, equivalent to a £100,000 increase to the budget in order to provide an

additional 1.25% inflationary increase in addition to eth MFG at 3.4% to ensure the special schools settlement is more comparable with eth 6% per pupil increase given to mainstream schools. Schools Forum carefully considered the balanced between the need for an additional inflationary increase with the resultant increase in the high needs deficit.