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 (2015-16?)

Reallocates the same amount of funding between schools

Schools Budget-Funding Streams

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Dedicated Schools Grant

Sixth Form

Funding (LSC)

Pupil Premium

DFE

Central Individual Budget Schools Budget

PVIs, Admissions, Agency etc

Schools

Dedicated Schools Grant - new blocks• Schools – per pupil • High Needs – fixed allocation based on

2012-13• 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

Schools Block

Delegated to schoolsExcept• 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 2013-14 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

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

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 £1421.88

• 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?