Schools Forum Training20th January 2015

Introductions and housekeeping• Introduction of presenters and delegates

• Duration – to finish by 1-30 so have break before Forum meeting

• Intention is to cover main areas in blocks and to discuss each before move to next. Limited time so which would you want to do initially and focus on?

• Objective – meeting your needs as Forum members

• Feedback – yes please -

Forum operation • National DfE regulations and schools forums

operational guidance define national requirements

• Northamptonshire forum operations are defined in the Schools Forum constitution – agenda item 8 - 20 January

• In defined areas forum have decision making powers. This is made clear when forum papers are issued and presented.

Forum operation• There are regular items – e.g. monitoring, and

other areas where items must be discussed at forum at particular points in the year :

• Schools formula budget – vote on and submit October and January

• High needs top ups and EYSFF finalise by March

• Early years and schools block Central expenditure – forum decide – best to agree by end of calendar year.

Forum operation• The meeting is a public one

• Papers are on the internet

• The key points from forum meetings are communicated to schools and others via Forum Matters after the meeting

• Forum members should liaise with those they represent

Forum operation

Questions?

2015/16 Settlement ValuesDSG

£520.8m(£496.7m in 2014-15)

SCHOOLS BLOCK

£425.7m(£394.8m in 2014-15)

£30.9m

EARLY YEARS BLOCK

£28.5m(£27.0m in 2014-15)

£1.5m

HIGH NEEDS BLOCK

£66.4m(£65.7m in 2014-15)

£0.7m

OTHER

£0.2m(£9.2m in 2014-15)

£9.0m

DSG blocks – how calculated• Schools block – primary and secondary pupil

numbers – Fairer Funding now increasing funding to national minimum level

• Other blocks mainly based on historical Northants spend

• Early years block – 3 and 4 year olds element funded on early years actual hours – DSG revised and updated during year but part of funding for increases delayed until subsequent year. 2 year olds DSG funding at national rate.

DSG blocks – how calculated

• High Needs block – volume increases are partially recognised in annual funding changes. Basis changes annually and funding not known until final high needs block announcement (announced December 14 for 2015-16)

• Blocks are NOT ringfenced

DSG blocks

Questions?

Primary and Secondary formula• Applies to all Northants primary and secondary

schools.

• Need to consult on changes with all schools and Forum. Local authority decides.

• DfE define allowable factors and supply data sets

Timeline

2015-16 School Funding Formula

Primary and Secondary formula• LA formula budgets are calculated based on

October’s census – i.e October 2014 pupil numbers feed into the 2015-16 formula budgets. Applies to maintained schools from April, academies from September

• Actual academy funding will differ.

• Only additional funding for pupil increases are :

• Weighted numbers for new year groups, and pupil growth fund where LA has asked school to increase their PAN/provide additional classes

Primary and Secondary formula• The formula is also impacted upon by:

• The schools block funding received via the DSG

• Central schools block costs

• Changing pupil numbers in the county – AWPU rates differ in primary, KS3 and KS4

• The funding ratio between primary and secondary schools. In 2015-16 is 1:1.34 in NCC. Issues include how this is changing over time, national averages, guidance and local decisions

Pupil Number Change• Changes in school pupil numbers in the Schools Oct 2014 census

(excluding non- recouping academies)

2014/15(October

2013 census)

2015/16(October

2014 census)

Change

Reception Uplift 104.5 104.0 (0.5)

Primary 59,546.5 61,165.5 1,619.0

Secondary 35,291.0 34,834.5 (456.5)

SEN Units and Resourced Provision (581.0) (420.0) 161.0

Total 94,361.0 95,684.0 1,323

Future Pupil Number Changes

Estimated numbers (Excl 6th form) Primary Secondary Total

14-15 academic year (October 14) 61,421 37,520 98,941

15-16 academic year (October 15) 63,126 37,620 100,746

16-17 academic year (October 16) 65,063 38,118 103,181

17-18 academic year (October 17) 66,440 39,211 105,651

18-19 academic year (October 18) 67,538 40,534 108,072

Total estimated movement over 5 years

6,117(10% total,

2% p.a.)

3,014(8% total, 1.6% p.a.)

9,131(9.2% total, 1.85% p.a)

Overview – Primary/Secondary funding ratio

• The overall primary/secondary rate across all local authorities is 1:1.27 (page 17 of the Schools Revenue Funding 2015-16 Operational Guide)

• In 2014-15 NCCs ratio was 1:1.33

• The 2015-16 ratio for NCC is 1:1.34

• Consideration of this ratio will be required for 2016-17. Should we aim in 2016-17 to be moving closer to the average ratio pending any move to a national formula?

• A forum working group will established to work on this with the authority

Schools formula

Questions?

MFG

MFG – Questions –

what does this stand for?

what does it do?

What doesn’t it do?

MFG

• Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) set nationally by the Government -1.5% 2015/16 and commitment to continue

• Protects schools – average funding per pupil (excluding lump sum and rates and any one off funding) cannot drop by greater than -1.5%

• Does NOT protect for changing pupil numbers

MFG calculation Question

• E.g. if AB school budget after above exclusions is £1m in 14-15 and has 250 pupils (both years) and budget set to reduce by £50k would they get any MFG protection in their budget and if so how much?

MFG calculation

• budget (after above exclusions) is £1m in 14-15

• budget set to reduce by £50k

• £1.5% = £15k school budget allowed to drop by

• School would receive

• £950k formula budget (£1m less £50k)

• £35k MFG protection

• Total 15-16 budget £985k

Cap• The MFG protection costs money so without

additional resources we cannot afford to fully fund all who would gain under the new formula

• This means we need to cap i.e. Limit the amount of any increase we give to some schools

• This is a local decision mainly linked to how much the MFG costs

• In 2015-16 has been increased from 4.5% to 8.1% (calculated on the same basis as the MFG)

MFG and Cap

Questions?

Early Years

• Has no direct relevance to primary and secondary colleagues so can switch off for these items?

Early Years

• WRONG

• Early years educational standards impact directly on primary schools and others

• Early years DSG funding is NOT ring-fenced so can be spent on any DSG area

EYSFF• Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF)

• Separate EYSFF for 2 year olds; and 3/4 year olds

• Applies to Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) providers (approx 70% of provision), Nursery units (approx 45) and 9 nursery schools.

• Consultation being undertaken on EYSFF elements and rates for 2015-16

EYSFF• Government requirement for 2 year old EYSFF

to just be a basic rate and for ¾ year old EYSFF to be as easily understood as possible.

• 3 and 4 year old EYSFF factors set locally

• Mixture of base funding and factors targetting :-

• Quality – OFSTED outstanding and qualifications of staff

• Deprivation –currently lump sum and allocation per pupil from most deprived post codes

EYSFF (cont)

• Nursery schools – additional lump sums to reflect requirement for Head Teacher and additional funding received historically through specific grants for standards fund and schools standards grant (etc)

Early Years – central expenditure

• Expectation from Government and commitment from NCC that central costs will be reduced so we can allocate more funding to early years providers through the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF)

• Base Central expenditure £3.083 million in 2014-15 (reduced in 15-16 through £90k central saving)

• This excludes additional one off approvals for trajectory funding investment and allocation from revenue carry forward to capital

Early Years and EYSFF

Questions?

High Needs - Question

• What is high needs, when was it ‘introduced’ and what does it include?

High Needs

• Prior to 2013-14 was SEN

• From April 2013 High Needs arrangements introduced nationally

• Introduced high needs elements, 1, 2 and 3

• It is our responsibility to fund through the DSG high needs element 3 in for example schools, early years providers and 16-18 in colleges

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Mainstream settings

Pre-16 SEN and AP

Specialist settings All settings

Post-16 SEN and LDD

“Top-up” funding from the commissioner to meet the needs of each pupil or student placed in the institution

Mainstream per-pupil funding (AWPU)

Contribution of £6,000 to additional support required by a pupil with high needs,

from the notional SEN budget

Base funding of £10,000 for SEN and £8,000 for AP placements, which is

roughly equivalent to the level up to which a

mainstream provider would have contributed to the

additional support provision of a high needs pupil. Base funding is provided on the basis of planned places.

Mainstream per-student funding (as calculated by the national 16-19 funding

system)

Contribution of £6,000 to additional support required

by a student with high needs

This diagram appeared as Figure 1 (p.43) of School funding reform: Next steps towards a fairer system.

High Needs – Mainstream• Element 3 top up for old band E and F

statements

• Post 1 April 13 statement no longer required to receive funding

• New high needs system – submission to high needs panel (average was 40-50 per month)

• Approx 25% of submissions from early years

• Instruction and forms etc all on website

High Needs – Place plus approach• Applies to resourced provision, SEN units,

special schools and alternative provision

• Allocated funding for a) number of places and b) high needs element 3 top up based on pupils actually in each location

• SEN units and resourced provision (previously called DSPs) – major review has been undertaken – place numbers have been reviewed and the types of children supported by each setting clarified and agreed

High Needs – funding• Special schools – have protection of -1.5%

maximum reduction per pupil as defined by Government (except where approved by secretary of state)

• Currently testing new RAS for high needs top ups

• New system and changes to be consulted on.

High Needs

Questions?

Close

Thank you attending – please feedback