The Business Advisor (schools) will present a report, Document MB, which asks the Forum to consider the consultation document, which outlines the proposals for the Schools Block, the formulae to be used to calculate allocations for Primary and Secondary schools and academies for the 2021/22 financial year and the criteria that will form the basis of the allocation of additional funding to maintained schools (and academies where appropriate) from Schools Block centrally managed funds.

The Authority would like now to consult on these proposals. The feedback from this consultation will be presented to the Schools Forum on 9 December. The Forum will then be asked to gives it final views (its recommendations) on 13 January.

Recommended –

The Schools Forum is asked to agree that the consultation (Document MB Appendix 1) is published.

(Andrew Redding – 01274 432678)

The Business Advisor (Schools) presented Document MB.

This report asked the Forum to consider the consultation document, which outlines the proposals for the Schools Block, the formulae to be used to calculate allocations for primary and secondary schools and academies for the 2021/22 financial year and the criteria that will form the basis of the allocation of additional funding to maintained schools (and academies where appropriate) from Schools Block centrally managed funds.

In his presentation, the Business Advisor focused on the overall National Funding Formula settlement for 2021/22 and the technical changes around the update of IDACI and the transfer of the Teacher Pay and Teacher Pension Grants into formula funding. He explained that the five decisions that need to be taken to set our arrangement for next year are very similar to those that have been required in recent years.

He also explained that, as in 2020/21, schools and academies typically can be grouped into three categories in terms of how the settlement affects them:

·         Those funded on the National Funding Formula, without ‘override’, that will see between 2.5% and 4.5% increases in funding per pupil, depending on how the changes in IDACI and other October 2020 Census data affects them.

·         Those funded on the increased Minimum Levels of Per Pupil Funding, where primary schools and academies will see a 6.4% increase in funding per pupil and secondary schools and academies will see a 3% increase in funding per pupil.

·         Those funded on the Minimum Funding Guarantee that will see a maximum 2% increase in funding per pupil. The numbers of schools and academies funded on the MFG are modelled on current data to reduce in 2021/22, but still more than half of the primary phase remains protected by the MFG factor.

The Business Advisor reported that the Falling Rolls Fund (FRF) Group met on 8 October. The main conclusion from the Group’s discussion was that the responsiveness of the Authority’s pupil numbers forecasts is a crucial element in determining whether a school or academy receives Falling Rolls Funding - scenario modelling the impact on potential FRF schools and academies of the reduction in PANs in other schools (which may mean that a currently under subscribed school or academy may see substantial growth in numbers within 3 years) is crucial. We expect to reconvene the Group to consider this scenario modelling in advance of presenting recommended allocations from the 2020/21 FRF to the Forum in March 2021.

Members asked the following questions:

·         The Vice Chair asked for confirmation of his understanding that the Year 7 Catch Up Premium has now been ceased and subsumed into the COVID-19 Catch Up Grant. He explained that this represents a significant loss of funding for the secondary sector. The Business Advisor responded that the Year 7 Catch Up Grant certainly has ceased but that he will confirm what the DfE has said about what arrangements replace this.

·         The Chair asked how many authorities are now replicating the National Funding Formula (NFF). The Business Advisor responded that 99 (out of 151) authorities in the last three years have moved closer to NFF and / or are now within 1% of NFF variable values.64 authorities are directly mirroring the NFF within the Schools Block. We are one of these.

·         A member representing maintained primary schools asked whether the unallocated Schools Block money that was held in respect of the primary phase within the 2020/21 settlement and carried forward into 2021/22 has been allocated already within the figures presented in the consultation. The Business Advisor responded that the £0.5m sum carried forward has not been allocated within the figures and the Forum will be asked to consider this sum at the next meeting.

Resolved –

That the consultation document (Document MB Appendix 1) be published.

LEAD:            Business Advisor, Schools