Issue - meetings

The Leader stated that this report proposed the increase of the special education inclusion fund budget. He added that the former special education needs transport service was provided by a company without any knowledge of disability and children’s special needs. Since then, many new investments had been done, including opening a new centre for disabled children, demonstrating a genuine commitment for improving children services. The Council wanted to ensure that special education needs children would get equal chances in life. He thanked Jacqui McShannon, the Director of Children’s Services, for her great work on this matter.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CABINET MEMBERS PRESENT:

1.         Schools Block Budget 2022/23 Financial Year:

a.    To approve the Local Authority formula for allocating resources to Hammersmith & Fulham schools for 2022/23 as set out in Appendix 1, the Authority Proforma Tool (APT) for setting school budgets.

b.    To approve the National Funding Formula (NFF) transitional funding formula factor rates (as set out in Appendix 1) as the basis for calculating the 2022/23 schools funding formula, together with a 1.5% per pupil Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) protection for individual schools versus 2021/22 levels with respect to pupil led funding.

c.    To approve the transfer of £0.556m (0.5% of the total schools' block allocation) from the schools' block to the high needs block in the 2022/23 financial year. This is to support high needs education expenditure for special educational needs in Hammersmith and Fulham.

d.    To approve the proposal to top-slice the 2022/23 Schools Block to the value of £0.200m or 0.18% of the total for the Falling Rolls protection fund in 2022/23. Allocations to mainstream schools from the agreed fund would be agreed by a sub-group of the Schools Forum.

e.    To approve de-delegation budgets of £0.666m for maintained mainstream schools only.

f.     To approve the education functions budgets of £0.258m for maintained mainstream schools only, as confirmed by Schools Forum on 18^th January 2022.

2.         Central Services Schools Block Budget 2022/23

a.    To approve the proposed budget allocation for Central Services Schools Block DSG totalling £2.817m.

3.         Early Years Block Budget 2022/23

a.    To approve the 2022/23 draft budget of £15.173m for 3- and 4-year-olds in line with grant conditions, including the proposed distribution of an increase in the hourly Base Rate paid to providers from £6.26 to £6.39 and the high level central Early Years budget of £0.759m.

4.         High Needs Block Expenditure 2022/23

a.    To note the significantly increased funding allocation for High Needs and special educational needs education in 2022/23, planned expenditure by category and commissioned places with special education providers in 2022/23.