To agree final budget proposals for recommendation to the cabinet member for children and families for school budgets, central school services and early years within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2023/24.

The strategic finance manager (SFM) presented the report and outlined the proposed schools budget based on the confirmed Dedicated Schools Grant allocation from the Department for Education (DfE). A copy of the slides used in the presentation are attached to the minutes of the meeting.

The DSG allocation was insufficient to fully fund the national funding formula values, but a School Additional Grant was to be distributed in addition to the main funding formula. The details of this additional grant had not been confirmed at the time of the meeting but it was expected to operate in a similar way to the additional grant issued for 2022/23.

Schools continued to express support for the SEN protection scheme which provides additional funding for schools when they have greater than average numbers of pupils with high needs. The budget proposals included a transfer from the schools block to the high needs block to support the continuation of the SEN protection scheme.

The chair of the Budget Working Group thanked the SFM for his work on the proposals. He highlighted the key points discussed during the working group meeting, that the funding situation was less than ideal and the proposed option C had quickly been identified as the preferred approach. Progressing any of the alternative options would have a negative impact on the SEN protection scheme.

The proposals had also been shared at a school leader’s webinar on 10 January. No objections had been raised to the approach recommended by the local authority and budget working group.

Forum members discussed the proposed budget and noted that the number of pupils in specialist settings was growing and that a longer term strategy was in place. The outcome of the local authority’s bid for a new SEN free school was still unknown. In the interim the local authority was trying to provide additional capacity in existing schools.

It was resolved that:

Due to insufficient funding within the Dedicated Schools Grant the National Funding Formula (NFF) factors for 2023/24 be reduced by 1% as included in the recommendations 1. (a) – (n) as below, and be recommended to the Cabinet member for children and families for decision as follows;

1.       The final school funding values be agreed, subject to a minimum total funding per pupil of £4,405 for primary schools and £5,715 for secondary schools, including the Minimum Funding Guarantee at 0.5% as follows:

(a)   Basic entitlement per pupil Primary £3,361, basic entitlement per secondary pupil Key Stage 3 £4,738 and basic entitlement per secondary pupil Key Stage 4 £5,340

(b)    Deprivation per free school meal Primary £475.50 Deprivation per free school meal Secondary £475.50

(c)   Deprivation per ever-6 free school meal Primary £697.95, Deprivation per ever-6 free school meal Secondary £1,019.70

(d) Socio-economic deprivation Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI)

(i)             Band A Primary £663.30 Secondary £920.70

(ii)            Band B Primary £504.90 Secondary £722.70

(iii)           Band C Primary £475.20 Secondary £673.20

(iv)           Band D Primary £435.60 Secondary £613.80

(v)            Band E  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66