School Funding Reform Bursars & Business Managers Briefing – January 2013
Why is the change happening? The Department for Education’s (DfE) stated objective is to reform the school funding system to make it fairer, simpler, more consistent and transparent. First step in the move to a national funding formula for schools ( ?) Reallocates the same amount of funding between schools
Schools Budget- Funding Streams
Dedicated Schools Grant - new blocks Schools – per pupil High Needs – fixed allocation based on Early years – per pupil Blocks are not ring fenced – movements between blocks approved by Lead Member
What about Pupil Premium? Pupil premium remains a separate grant Will continue as a credit
Early Years Block
What is funded from this block? PVI providers Nursery classes in schools Central expenditure on early years pupils
Early Years January pupil count No change to 3 & 4 year old funding New funding for most needy 2 year olds
Schools Block
Delegated to schools Except Funding for additional school places inc KS1 Funding pooled by maintained schools – inc contingencies, EALS, Behaviour Support Historic Commitments - combined services, CERA, limited redundancy payments LA statutory duties - Admissions, carbon reduction commitments, servicing Schools Forums
Schools Funding Formula – Timetable Schools Forum started work Nov 2011 Report to Schools Forum recommended new formula following consultation with schools– 24 September 2012 Lead member approval – 15 October 2012 Returns to the EFA – 31 Oct 12 & 22 Jan 13 Issue budget shares – late February 2013 (exc EY & post 16)
Which factors are no longer allowed? Teaching & Learning protection Most premises factors School meals Library service Insurances NQTs School staff Personalised learning KS1 top up Specialist schools Statements Clawbacks and supplements
Allowable formula factors Per pupil (Primary, Secondary KS3 and KS4) Deprivation (Free meals & IDACI) SEN (prior attainment) Lump sum (max £200k) Rates Split sites PFI Additional site factors approved by EFA Less targeted – less sensitive
Data New pupil count date – October All data sets are provided by the DfE
How was the funding allocated?
Changes to how you get funding
Moving into the formula Headroom Devolved former standards fund grants Local Area Partnership Boards Former Pupil Retention Grant Former NQT adjustments These were credits and were included in school exemplification baselines
Replacing statement funding Statement funding less than £6,000 per statement has been reallocated to all schools based on prior attainment factors Targets SEN funding to low achievers Removes the link between statements and funding Brings ESCC in line with most other authorities
Moving out of the formula Key stage 1 top up SEN top up i.e. statement funding over £6000 These will be credits
Key Stage 1 top up No calc change April to Aug Will be paid as a credit New calculation from September
Protections
MFG will operate for at least 2 years at -1.5% per pupil (excluding lump sum and new delegation) –Statement funding (excluding de-delegation) is inside the MFG baseline giving interim protection for schools with comparatively large numbers of statements) Gains will be capped at 3% (excluding lump sum and new delegation)
Growth Fund
Approved by Schools Forum Nov 12 Funding for additional places required by the authority Funding for Key stage 1 top up Will be a credit
High Needs block
What is funded from the block? Special school and academy places Special facility places Alternative provision places Top up funding schools and FE LA responsibilities LA spending for special schools and academies
Top-Up Funding Determined by commissioner the LA the school/academy/college Designed to meet the individual needs of the pupil over and above place funding DfE suggested strongly that LAs develop banded funding systems to determine top- up funding
Timetable Working group recommendation for a banded funding framework to Schools Forum for banded funding framework – Dec 12 Schools Forum recommendation to lead member – 21 Jan 13 Lead Member decision on banded funding framework – 21 Jan 13
Payment of top up funding Monthly count Paid monthly in arrear
Top up funding for pupils in mainstream schools
Top up for mainstream schools Schools will meet the additional needs of pupils up to £6000 from their budget shares Monthly count Funding follows pupil in year Pupils with existing statements will automatically move to the new bandings New qualifying pupils will be assessed and banded
Example Pupils with Band B and above statements will assimilate to the new banded funding framework e.g. B = band 2 –School will fund the first £6,000 from budget share –top up paid by LA will be £ New pupils with additional needs costing more than £6,000 will be banded for top up purposes
Special schools, special units and facilities in maintained schools and academies
Place funding Place funding (Special Facilities and Special Schools) - £10,000 Place funding (College central) - £8,000 Pupils in special facilities will not be included on the school roll for funding
Special Schools – calculating top up Banded funding for the individual pupil Plus universal non banded funding Plus exceptional non banded funding Plus/minus MFG or capping Less Place funding £10,000
Special Facilities – calculating top up Banded funding for the individual pupil Plus universal non banded funding Plus/minus MFG or capping Less Place funding £10,000
ANY QUESTIONS?