Decision details

To approve the council’s 2020/21 revenue funding formula for Surrey schools.

RESOLVED:

That the proposals set out in Annex 3 to the submitted report be approved, namely that:

1.     an appeal be lodged with the Secretary of State for Education to overturn the decision of the Schools Forum and permit the transfer of 0.5% of the schools block (estimated at £3.3 million) to support high needs SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities).

2.     the transition to the National Funding Formula (NFF) progresses at a steady rate to an estimated 92.5% of published 2020/21 NFF values.

3.     the council implement the DfE’s recommended Minimum Per Pupil Level in full.

4.     the Schools Forum’s formula recommendations for Schools and early years funding as set out in Annex 3 of the submitted report be approved.

5.     the cost of additional Special Education Needs (SEN) funding for inclusive schools be contained within £0.9 million per year. To achieve this, authority was delegated to the Director of Education, Lifelong Learning & Culture in consultation with the Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning to approve amendments to the schools and early years additional SEN funding and notional SEN funding formula, following discussion with Schools Forum in December.

6.   authority be delegated to the Director of Education, Lifelong Learning & Culture in consultation with the Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning to approve amendments to the schools and early years formulae as appropriate following receipt of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement and Department for Education (DfE) pupil data in December 2019. This was to ensure that total allocations to schools under this formula remain affordable within the council’s DSG settlement.

Reasons for decision:

To comply with DfE regulations requiring formal council approval of the local funding formula for Surrey’s primary and secondary schools.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]