Agenda item

Report of Finance Business Partner, Children and Adults

Ceri Walters, Finance Business Partner, Children and Adults, presented her report outlining the Schools Budget for 2015/16, highlighting the following points:

(a)  the following Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations have already been approved by the Schools Forum:

·  Behaviour Support (approved for maintained primary schools only);

·  Ethnic Minority Achievement;

·  Trade Union Senior Representative Cover Time;

·  Sports Safe Gym Maintenance Services;

·  Copyright Licensing Agreement/Music Publishing Association Licenses;

·  Building Maintanance Services;

·  Schools and Early Years central budgets;

(b)  the DSG figure does not include:

·  Pupil Premium;

·  year 7 Catch up Premium Grant;

·  Pupil Premium Summer Schools Funding;

·  funding for 2 year olds;

(c)  there has been an increase in funding of £13.864m in 2015/16 compared to 2014/15. This is due to:

·  transfer of responsibility to the Local Authority for non-recoupment academies and free schools budgets;

·  Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) energy scheme rate increase;

·  increased pupil numbers;

·  indicative early years pupil premium;

·  increase in high needs;

(d)  the number of parents submitting forms to confirm their eligibility for free school meals has reduced amongst Key Stage 1 pupils as they are now automatically entitled to free school meals. This has not had much impact on Pupil Premium funding yet but is likely to in future years. More research needs to be done to assess the future impact of this and ways to avoid it, possibly by researching how other authorities deal with it. The Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) also guarantees that schools will lose no less than 1.5% of their funding per year.

The following comments were made during the discussion:

(e)  although a funding allocation was agreed for building maintenance services, more information will be expected about this in future so that the Forum can make a balanced decision as to whether it represents value for money;

(f)  clarity would be helpful to see how funding is affected by a school or nursery’s Ofsted performance.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the value of the 2015/16 DSG schools budget is £235.459m;

(2)  note that any unallocated DSG funds will be transferred to the Statutory Schools Reserve (SSR);

(3)  note the allocation of Pupil Premium, Summer Schools Funding and Year 7 Catch up Premium will be confirmed in Summer 2015 and will be allocated to schools in accordance with the grant conditions;

(4)  approve the use of reserves to support split site catering costs in 2014/15 currently totalling £0.083m.