Agenda item

Report attached

Alison Vidler presented the Schools & Academies Funding update and explained that the focus of the Forum meeting was to consider and make recommendations on the 2023/24 funding factors that are required to be submitted to the DfE by the 21st January 2023 deadline. The recommendations will also be included in the Council budget setting requirements which go to full Council for approval on 22nd February 2023.

1.    Dedicated Schools Grant

Following the publication of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations on 16 December 2022, which takes into account the fully validated October 2022 pupil census, the 2022-23 DSG for Bury was summarised in the table set out in the report. the 2022-23 baseline shown below includes the Supplementary Grant in the Schools Block and additional DSG in the High Needs Block. This is for the purpose of demonstrating the actual variance as these have been incorporated into the 2023-24 DSG.

2.    Schools Block

(a) Formula Unit Values

Schools’ Forum is required annually to recommend the formula unit values to be applied to all Mainstream Schools & Academies funding allocations. The formula unit values applied to Bury Schools and Academies funding formula already directly mirror the DfE National Funding Formula (NFF) unit values. For information the Unit Values applicable to 2023-24 and were detailed in the report provided.

(b)Mainstream Schools additional grant

The 2022 Autumn Statement announced that the core schools’ budget will increase by £2 billion in the 2023-24 financial year, over and above totals announced at the Spending Review 2021. In the 2023-24 financial year, mainstream schools will be allocated this additional funding through the mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) 2023-24. This is in addition to schools’ allocations through the schools national funding formula. From 2024-25 onwards, the intention is that this funding will be incorporated into core budget allocations in the Schools Block of the DSG. For Mainstream Schools and Academies, the 2023-24 indicative allocation for Bury is £5,118,450. School-level allocations will be published in May 2023.

The funding rates consist of the following 3 elements, which are based on factors already in the schools national funding formula:

· a basic per-pupil rate (with different rates for primary, key stage 3 and key stage 4)

· a lump sum paid to all schools, regardless of pupil numbers

· a per-pupil rate for pupils who are recorded as having been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years (FSM6), with different rates for primary and secondary pupils

Grant will be calculated by multiplying the relevant funding rates using data from the October 2022 census. The Area Cost Adjustment (ACA) will then be applied.

(c)De-delegation

Schools’ Forum (Maintained Mainstream only) is required to recommend the De-delegated items

In 2022-23, the DfE grant was reduced by 50% and Forum agreed to de-delegate £7.50 per pupil. In 2023-24, following removal of the remaining grant, the proposal is to increase the de-delegated rate to £15.00 per pupil. The remaining de-delegated values have remained at the same rate for a number of years, therefore a small inflationary increase is included in the proposed values for 2023-24.

Services directly funded by these de-delegated funds will be restricted to maintained schools only. Related services provided to other schools will be funded through alternative resources including the option for traded services.

·         Schools of Concern at £6.30 per pupil

·         FSM Benefits Checking £5.25 per FSM6

·         Trade Union Facilities Time £4.20 per pupil

·         Local Authority School Improvement £15 per pupil

RECOMMENDATION 1:

Bury’s Schools’ Forum (Maintained School representatives) agree the De-delegated values for 2023-24, summarised as follows:

· Schools of Concern @ £6.30 per pupil

· Free School Meals Eligibility Checking @ £5.25 per FSM6

· Trade Union Facilities Time @ £4.20 per pupil Page 17 6

· School Improvement Brokerage and Monitoring Grant @ £15.00 per-pupil

(d)Schools Block Transfer to High Needs Block

Following receipt of the DSG funding settlement, validated October 2022 census data, and after updating all Mainstream Schools & Academies 2023-24 funding formula in accordance with the recommended National Funding Formula (NFF) requirements, Schools’ Forum are requested to consider and recommend a transfer of available funds from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block DSG.

This transfer effectively recognises an essential contribution from Schools and Academies towards helping with the overall cost pressures being faced by the High Needs Block which funds all Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) provision for all children and young people aged 0-25 whether with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or not in Early Years, Mainstream, Specialist, Maintained or Independent provisions in or out of Borough.

As the distribution of funding to schools equates to 99.65% of the total, only 0.35% remains available for transfer to the High Needs Block. This equates to £521,068.

RECOMMENDATION 2:

Bury’s Schools’ Forum agree the permitted transfer of 0.35% of the Schools Block to the High Needs Block for 2023-24.

3.    Central Schools Services Block (CSSB)

It was explained that the Schools’ Forum is required to approve the allocation of budgets included under the CSSB, which was created several years ago in place of the former Education Services Grant (ESG) retained functions funding for Local Authorities. The former ESG funding was added to the DSG in April 2018 in order to help sustain the services that it is intended to support.

The amount of grant in 2034-24 has increased by 4.7%. However, the centralised National Copyright Licences costs will increase by 10.7%. The remaining funding has been allocated across all headings as a percentage increase as set out in the report.

RECOMMENDATION 3:

Bury’s Schools’ Forum agree the allocation of CSSB budgets as outlined to the applicable services for 2023-24.