Decision details

To obtain cabinet approval of the Schools budgets as calculated in the Authority Proforma Tool 1920 and to update on High Needs block Phase 1 Savings, Early Years Budget and Central Services Savings.

Reasons for urgency:

The final schools budget allocation from the Education & Skills Funding Agency is due for release on 14th December 2018. The deadline for submission of final 2019/2020 Schools Budget Authority Proforma Tool to the Education & Skills Funding Agency is the 21st January 2019 and requires both Schools Forum and Local.

1.1.        To approve the Local Authority formula for allocating resources to Hammersmith & Fulham schools for 2019/20 as set out in Appendix 1, the Authority Proforma Tool (APT) for setting school budgets.

1.2.        To approve the NFF transitional factors (as set out in Appendix 1 and explained more fully in Appendix 2) as the basis for calculating the 2019/20 schools funding formula, together with a 0.5% per pupil Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) protection for individual schools versus 2018/19 funding levels.

1.3.        To approve the dis-application request to transfer £1m (0.97% of the total schools block allocation) from the schools block to the high needs block in the 2019/20 financial year.

1.4.        To approve one off falling rolls protection is awarded to schools with greater than 5% but no more than 20% role reduction year on year to allow support to schools as action is taken to mitigate or reverse the impact of the falling roll, excluding schools where there is a pre- known roll reduction because of a bulge class ageing out.   That £74,624 be allocated to the schools listed below:

1.5.        To approve a provision of up to £148,000 within the remaining unallocated falling roles provision in paragraph 2.4 to provide falling roles protection for one academy secondary school subject to achieving a good or outstanding Ofsted rating in the next financial year in line with government regulations for falling roles financial support.

1.6.        To approve that the Cabinet Member for Children and Education be delegated decision-making authority with respect to the remaining falling roles provision up to £148,000, on recommendation of the Director of Children’s Services and in consultation with Schools Forum.

1.7.        To approve £706,000 of schools’ block budgets be allocated to maintained schools through the Authority Proforma Tool are de-delegated back to the local authority in line with 2018/19. Dedelegation is the process in Schools Finance regulations whereby delegated schools funding is returned to Council control.

The final schools budget allocation from the Education & Skills Funding Agency was received in late December 2018. The deadline for submission of final 2019/2020 Schools Budget Authority Proforma Tool to the Education & Skills Funding Agency was the 21st January 2019 and requires both Schools Forum and Local Authority approval.

None.