Agenda item

Report of the Director of Education and the Corporate Director for Children and Adults

Lucy Juby, Project Manager, School Organisation, introduced the report updating the Forum on the Sub-Group’s recommendations for the principles and criteria under which funding can be allocated to maintained schools and academies in 2018/19:

(a)  the representative Sub-Group was established to undertake a review of both the existing Pupil Growth Contingency Funding (PGCF) model for primary schools and the required model for secondary school pupil growth;

(b)  significant pupil growth due to a growth in birth rate and new arrivals in the city is now impacting on the secondary sector so an appropriate funding model is required to support expansion;

(c)  the criteria for the PGCF in the primary sector was also reviewed by the Sub-Group. This has largely remained the same except that funding for any utilities and teaching assistants will be allocated based on a case by case basis, rather than assumed to be required;

(d)  the primary expansion programme is now largely complete, with the majority of applicants receiving an offer at their first or second preference school at first admission;

(e)  for secondary expansions, funding will be allocated to schools who are increasing their intake by a minimum of one full class, and where growth is in agreement with the School Organisation Team;

(f)  for each additional class, one teacher will be funded along with deprivation funding based on the school’s proportion of pupils eligible for the Free School Meals, FSM6 and IDACI band factors. Classroom setup costs may be funded dependent on individual circumstances. If there is already existing resourced space or surplus capacity at the school it will not be funded. If a school takes more than one additional class this will be funded on a sliding scale;

(g)  from April 2018, any academy that chooses to reduce its admission number against the wishes of the Local Authority will not receive PGCF for any subsequent increases;

The following points were raised during the discussion which followed:

(h)  good and outstanding schools will be prioritised for expansions to ensure quality of provision;

(i)  capacity at primary schools will continue to be monitored although the main expansion programme is now largely complete with the final two permanent expansions underway. Schools will be approached individually if there is pressure in future;

(j)  distances that pupils will need to travel to school will be taken into account when expanding schools, with the aim to be providing places in suitable locations. Changes of catchment areas has been considered but this is more complex with secondary schools as their admissions criteria varies and some do not have catchment areas;

(k)  a number of schools and academies have already come forward with interest in expanding, including Fernwood School which has been successful in its funding bid from the Education Funding Agency, pending consultation.

RESOLVED to

(1)  approve the proposed conditions, criteria and methodology under which funding can be allocated to secondary schools during 2018/19 as recommended by the Schools Forum Sub-Group and detailed in Appendix 1 of the report;

(2)  approve that the existing criteria for pupil growth in primary schools will continue, subject to schools satisfying the conditions detailed in Appendix 2 of the report;

(3)  note a termly update report will continue to be submitted to Schools Forum outlining how the funding has been allocated, to ensure a transparent and consistent process;

(4)  note Schools Forum will be consulted again on the approach and criteria for funding secondary growth from the financial year 2019/20 onwards, once updated guidance is received from the ESFA.