Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement presented a report on the dedicated schools budget and schools funding formula 2021/22.

The Cabinet Member referred to the provisional allocations for 2021/22 across the four funding areas covering the main allocation to schools (Schools block), central costs for core Local Authority education services (Central block), additional costs for Special Educational Needs pupils (High Needs block) and childcare and pre-school services (Early Years block).

Cabinet were advised that in general, the operation of the National Funding Formula for the Schools Block had tended to move funding away from London authorities towards other areas, although this effect has been dampened by the use of a funding floor. Moreover, Education funding at the national level had been subject to below inflationary increases for the past few years. This had created some financial pressures for some LBBD schools – especially Primary Schools which had seen a temporary dip in pupil numbers, due to the drop in birth rates.  The move to a formula based allocation however, had improved funding for the High Needs Block which had previously been severely underfunded. This still remained an area of financial pressure at the local and national level.

The Schools Forum and local schools had been consulted upon the principles that the Council planned to use for the Local Funding Formula for Schools.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the indicative allocation of Dedicated Schools Grant for 2021/22 as set out in section 2 of the report;

(ii)  Approve the 2021/22 strategy for the Schools Block as set out in section 3 of the report;

(iii)  Approve the proposed principles for the design of the Local Schools Funding Formula as set out in section 4 of the report, subject to consultation with schools and (vi) below;

(iv)  Note the allocated funding and strategy for the High Needs Block as set out in section 5 of the report;

(v)  Note the allocated funding and strategy for the Central Services Block as set out in section 6 of the report; and

(vi)  Delegate authority to the Director of People and Resilience, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer, the Schools Forum and the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, to approve the final 2021/22 school funding formula for submission to the Education and Schools Funding Agency.