Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Schools Forum’s recommendations for the formula funding of Surrey schools in 2018/19, as set out in Annex 2 to the submitted report, be approved.

2.    That the proposed Surrey formula factors for 2018/19, as set out in Annex 3 to the submitted report, be approved.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director, Schools & Learning, in consultation with the Leader and the Cabinet Member for Education to approve amendments to the schools funding formula as appropriate following receipt of the DSG settlement and DfE pupil data in December 2017.

Reasons for Decisions:

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

ii.     To ensure that total allocations to schools under this formula remain affordable within the council’s DSG settlement.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children and Education Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Education introduced this report that set out the recommended funding formula for Surrey schools in 2018/19. All Surrey schools, including academies, were funded from the council’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation. Each local authority was required to maintain a local funding formula to allocate DSG funding to individual schools.  This funding formula was determined annually, ahead of the council’s main budget decisions, in order to meet the Department for Education (DfE) deadline of 19 January 2018.  It followed the annual funding consultation with all Surrey schools during October and the recommendations of the Schools Forum on 10 November 2017.

She went on to explain that the DfE was to introduce a National Funding Formula (NFF) from 2020/21. During 2018/19 local authorities were expected to manage a smooth transition for schools by amending their local formula in the direction of the NFF.  This report recommended transitional arrangements for 2018/19.

The transition to the NFF provided an extra £14m (2.4%) in 2018/19 and once fully implemented in 2020/21, a net increase of approximately £28.5m (4.8%) to Surrey schools. However, after two years with no inflation increases, schools were facing increasing pressures, including rising pay, national insurance and pension costs and funding the impact of the withdrawal of education service grants.  Furthermore, the distribution of that funding was not consistent across all Surrey schools.  In general, Surrey schools with higher levels of deprivation gain rather less from the NFF as Surrey’s local formula currently allocates a higher proportion of funding to schools serving deprived communities.

A few Members made the point that this was not fair funding but the council would continue to call on the Government for fairer funding. Two Members made funding comparisons with schools along the London borders.  Also that grant received for pupils with high needs did not cover the spend in this area.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Schools Forum’s recommendations for the formula funding of Surrey schools in 2018/19, as set out in Annex 2 to the submitted report, be approved.

2.    That the proposed Surrey formula factors for 2018/19, as set out in Annex 3 to the submitted report, be approved.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director, Schools & Learning, in consultation with the Leader and the Cabinet Member for Education to approve amendments to the schools funding formula as appropriate following receipt of the DSG settlement and DfE pupil data in December 2017.

Reason for Decision:

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

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children and Education Select Committee]