Agenda item

The Forum was presented with a report which informed them of the decisions required for the new School Funding Formula as per the Department for Education requirements.   The Forum was required to agree the funding factors to be used in the budget allocation process for 2012-14.

 

The Forum was advised that there was a requirement to change the School Funding Formula to meet the new funding arrangements as a prelude to a National Funding Formula.  It was reported that the number of funding factors had reduced from the current 37 to 12.  Out of these 12 factors, officers recommended using seven, as the other five did not apply to Halton, for reasons stated in the report.  The factors recommended were as follows:

 

1.    Basic per-pupil entitlement factor;

2.    Deprivation factor;

3.    Low cost, high incidence Special Educational Needs factor;

4.    Looked After Children factor;

5.    Lump Sum;

6.    Rates; and

7.    Private Finance Initiatives

 

The Forum noted the situation with The Grange All Through School in that it may be funded as a re-organised school and be eligible for a lump sum from the schools contingency fund for 2013/14.

 

The factors for distributing the mainstream funding formula listed above was agreed by the School Forum. 

 

The recommendations made by officers were approved with the exception of number 14, which would be amended.  It was agreed that the Lump Sum cash balances for Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy and St Chads would be reworked using the FSM and IDACI model in a 50-50 spilt.  Provided the figures were reasonable both schools would agree, if not this would need to be looked at again, and any further changes to the formula which impacted and changed the level of funding to other secondary schools would need to be discussed and agreed between the schools.  It was highlighted that this must be within the timeframe required by officers so that a response could be submitted to the EFA by 31 October 2012.

 

RESOLVED:  That School Forum

 

1)    Agree the mapping of current funding factors to the most appropriate funding factor;

2)    Agree the use of seven funding factors;

3)    Agree that funding is kept as much as possible within that funding factor;

4)    Agree the funding of the equivalent of the lump sum value to The Grange for 2013-14 as a re-organising school;

5)    Agree the calculation of the unit values for the basic per pupil funding factor;

6)    Agree that for the deprivation funding factor we target funding using Free School Meals Ever 6 and IDACI on a 50/50 split;

7)    Agree to the use of the Low Cost, High Incidence Special Educational Needs funding factor;

8)    Agree that for the above funding factor, we use the EYFSP threshold set at 73 points and below;

9)    Agree to use the Looked after Children funding factor;

10) Agree to use the Primary unit value;

11) Agree that any Looked after Children cash balance for the secondary schools is allocated using the Low Cost, High Incidence Special Educational Needs funding factor;

12) Agree to use the Lump Sum funding factor;

13) Agree to use the Primary unit value as the Lump Sum unit value;

14) Agree that any Lump Sum cash balance for the secondary schools could be allocated using the FSM and IDSCI model on a 50/50 basis provided Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy and St Chads were satisfied with the revised claculations.  Any further changes would need the agreement of any secondary school affected.

15) Agree to continue allocating funding to schools for Local Authority Rates on the same basis as at present;

16) Agree to fund the Private Finance Initiative costs at The Grange at the previously agreed rate of £75.00 per pupil;

17) Agree that we do not use the English as an Additional Language funding factor;

18) Agree that we do not use the Pupil Mobility funding factor;

19) Agree that we do not use the Split Sites funding factor; and

20) Recognised that we are unable to use the London Fringe and Post-16 funding factors.