The Business Advisor (Schools) will present a report, Document OG, which provides an update on a number of matters relating to the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Recommended –

The Schools Forum is asked to consider and to note the information provided in the report.

                                                                                                                                    (Andrew Redding – 01274 432678)

The Business Advisor (Schools) presented Document OG, which provided an update on a number of matters relating to the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Relating to the shorter updates, the Vice Chair thanked the Business Advisor (Schools) for the additional information provided on the 2021/22 academic year School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering programme (SIMB). Recognising that the report states that impact evaluation will be presented in a subsequent report, the Vice Chair clarified that the request is for an evaluation of impact of historic Authority SIMB activities (rather than focusing on the current academic year programme). The Business Advisor acknowledged this clarification and stated that this request will be responded to.

The main focus of this agenda item was then the High Needs Block surplus balance and SEND places sufficiency.

The Business Advisor provided an update, verbally, on the first meeting of the Forum’s working group, which has been convened to consider the High Needs Block surplus balance. He stated that an introductory report was written for this meeting, which sought to provide context and reference points, explaining the key activities and decisions over the 2018-2022 period, as well as setting out principles and restrictions and the main points that must be considered in finding the appropriate ‘balance’, between the retention and allocation of the forecasted surplus. The Business Advisor explained that the report also sets outs the key pieces of information that are still be made available that are critical to our decision making (these being - Ofsted SEND local area inspection outcomes; SEND and Alternative Provision national review outcomes; SEND £2.6bn capital distribution). He suggested that it will be helpful for all Forum members to have sight of this report and it was agreed that this report will be circulated.

The Business Advisor explained that Forum members that were present at 2 March working group meeting gave some initial feedback and also that feedback has been provided since the meeting. The group has asked the Authority for an evaluation of the impact of our 2018-22 High Needs Block re-shaping activities (which are listed in the report, and include the creation of new places, the re-structuring of support services and exiting from the High Needs Block’s support funding for school-commissioned behaviour support provision). The group agreed that impact evaluation will provide important reference to inform potential decisions about the targeted allocation of a proportion of the surplus balance. The group initially identified some specific areas for consideration, including increasing EHCP assessment capacity (noting however, that the DSG cannot be used for SEND assessment costs), mental health support, supported internships in post 16 and funding, where the EHCP Banded Model (top up funding) may not fully support the costs incurred by schools in all circumstances.

The Business Advisor stated that the working group will meet again shortly and, subject to the critical further information being available, it is anticipated that a fuller report will be presented for the Forum’s consideration at the next meeting. A member representing maintained primary schools stated that the Authority must conclude the allocation of the surplus balance quickly, in order to support current pupils in existing provisions.

The Strategic Manager, Intelligence and Sufficiency then presented an update of the SEND Places Sufficiency Statement. An additional report was tabled at the meeting. The Strategic Manager presented the report by section. The report provided further information about the Authority’s activities for the creation of 200-240 additional SEND places over the next 2 academic years, and outlined for members the current significant difficulties that are affecting places creation.

Forum members asked the following questions and made the following comments:

• Does the report indicate that we have £1.3m of SEND capital available but that there are barriers, which prevent our spending of this? The Strategic Manager responded to explain that there are a number of constraints, not just the insufficiency of capital funds, and that these are outlined in the report.
• Whether the 200-240 places figure remains sufficient (whether it is ‘future proofed’ and / or whether the number of places that are actually needed is regularly re-calculated, based on updated data). The Strategic Manager responded that the 200-240 places figure was calculated at the time the SEND Sufficiency Statement was presented to the Forum in December. The Authority regularly reviews the data and regularly reviews the forecasted requirement for places from this.
• The member representing Special School Academies asked for clarification regarding a possible discrepancy between the data appendices provided in the previous and updated statements. The Strategic Manager explained that an incorrect figure was included in the previous statement, which the updated statement now corrects.
• This member also stated that, although there has been significant places expansion, we currently are not ‘running fast enough’ to keep up with demand. We are not engaged in any major capital schemes. He reported that the District Achievement Partnership (DAP) is significantly concerned about the insufficiency of special school places, and the knock on consequences of this across high needs provision in the District. The DAP has written to the Chief Executive and to the Strategic Director, Children’s Services, expressing this concern. The Authority must urgently develop a major capital programme. Responding to this, the Strategic Director, Children’s Services, stated again her thanks to schools, academies and to other providers for actively engaging with the Authority in places creation. She explained that the Authority will need to continue to respond to pressure on the sufficiency of places, and that this is a national issue. Bradford Local Authority has created a larger number of places in recent years, than the national picture, and our number of EHCPs has also risen faster than the national picture. We will continue to see increases, but increases are likely to be closer to national trends going forward. Capital funding is critical to continued places creation. The Authority has so far been creative in the use of available capital funding and buildings space, but it is increasingly difficult to create new places. The difficulties of places creation, and insufficiency of capital funding, are being communicated to government by local authorities and the Strategic Director is pushing Bradford’s requirements and position within this.
• Although appreciating that this is a national problem, the Vice Chair emphasised that Bradford’s problem regarding the sufficiency of special school places is severe.

In summarising the Forum’s discussion, the Chair asked that elected members (and specifically the portfolio holder) be made aware of the Forum’s concerns and that they be asked attend to this urgent issue (of the sufficiency of special school places).

Resolved –

That the information presented in Document OG be noted (the meeting minutes will record the Forum’s discussion).