Agenda and minutes

An Apology was received from D Steen

Members to declare any interests in matters to be discussed at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 4 July 2022 as a correct record.

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 4 July 2022 be approved as a correct record.

Matters arising:

A Member enquired about when the Schools Forum training seminar would take place.

The Clerk informed the Forum that the training had been arranged on 19th September, but had to be cancelled due to the Queen’s funeral.  A new date would now need to be organised and Members would be advised accordingly in due course.

Agreed that D Steen be elected to the vacant Primary Governor Representative on the Forum for a four year term of office.

To note the contents of the report in relation to the 2022/23 HNB Grant budget monitoring for the period 1 April – 31 August 2022.

The Forum received a report for information which detailed the HNB monitoring position as at 31st August 2022 projected to 31st March 2023.

The HNB original indicative grant for 2022/23 reported to the Forum on 14th March 2022 was £61.267M.  After deductions of £3.130M, the grant available was now £58.137M.

The balance bought forward as at 1st April 2022 was £3.930M surplus.

The DFE had updated the HNB Grant in July 2022 which showed an increase of £2.671m from the figure reported to the Forum in March 2022.  This was usual practice and Table 1 presented the updated grant figures and where there were differences from the March figures.

Table 1 Updated 2022/23 HNB Grant

The updates to the Grant could be explained as follows: -

•        Import adjustments were for pupils that were educated within Sandwell but resided outside in another Local Authority. The data was extracted from January Census and an adjustment had been made to reduce Other Local Authority’s (OLAs) HNBs and increase Sandwell’s.  Export adjustment were for pupils that resided in Sandwell but were educated in OLAs.  The figures were combined to give a net adjustment.  Sandwell were an overall net importer.  The adjustment of £0.177M related to adjustments following the data extracted from the January 2022 Census.  This data had been checked, and errors were submitted in July.  Errors that were identified and agreed would be notified to Sandwell and the HNB would be adjusted again around December 2022.

•        The Special Supplementary Grant had already been notified to the LA but had not been incorporated in the December 2021 Indicative Grant.  This had already been allocated to Special Schools and PRUs.

•        Funding for free schools of £482K had not been included in the indicative grant but the funding for pupils in Free Schools was budgeted for by Sandwell in the original budget figures so this additional funding would increase / decrease any in year deficit or surplus.

•        Deductions were made for place funding for mainstream Academy Schools with a Focus Provision or Post 16 pupils with an EHCP, Academy Special Schools, Free Special School, Colleges, and Training Providers where Sandwell was the lead authority.  The deduction was £10K per place if unoccupied or £6K per place if occupied, for school placements.  It was £6k per place for Colleges and Training providers based on the number of commissioned places.

 The LA agreed the deductions each November via a place change notification process.  The £288K adjustment was represented as follows:

-        Changes in Mainstream Academy occupied / unoccupied Places - £28K Increase

-        AP Academy and Free school place - £6K deduction

-        Additional Free School places requested by the LA via the place change notification - £210K deduction

-        Additional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43/22

To note the changes to the National Funding Formula and approve the approach and modelling options to the 2023-24 Local Formula.

The Forum received a report which detailed that, following on from last year’s consultation on the reforms to the National Funding Formula (NFF), the Schools Operational Guide 2023-24 had been published on the 19th July 2022.  The report aimed to provide members with an update on the Government’s plan to implement a direct NFF (where funding will be allocated directly to schools based on a single national formula) and to seek the basis on which consultation on the formula should be undertaken later in the autumn.

Sandwell had an ambition to ensure that all schools and academies in the borough were rated as Good or Better by Ofsted.  However, to achieve this during times of austerity would require astute and prudent usage of finite, and reducing, resources.

There remained significant financial challenges in the education sector at present.  It was clear that proposed schools funding arrangements would not fully offset the effects over the last 10 years of inflation, the national pay wards, the apprenticeship levy, recent cost of living pressures and changes to employers pay contributions.  Equally, schools would also have to pay for many services that were once provided free by the council.

Given that these factors had impacted, over time, detrimentally on local budgets, the decisions taken by the current School Forum would need to consider how the factors contained within the school’s budget formula delivered an equitable spread of resources to all schools, which targeted areas of need whilst protecting those that were most financially vulnerable.

Schools Forum would also need to consider the impact of a “direct” National Funding Formula, if and when implemented, and the continued steps the borough should take to move towards this; taking in to account minimum funding guarantees to allow schools time to prepare for, and manage, future changes in funding.

In 2023-24 each local authority could continue to set a local schools funding formula.  However, they would be required to bring their own formulae closer to the schools direct NFF.  There was an expectation that the full move to the NFF would be completed by 2027-28. 

It had been confirmed that from 2023-24 local authorities would only be allowed to use NFF factors in their local formulae.  This meant that the looked after children (LAC) factor would no longer be an allowable factor.

From 2023-24 Local Authorities must use all NFF factors, except for the locally determined premises factors which remained optional.  This meant that Local Authorities would have to use all 3 deprivation factors (FSM, FSM6 and all IDACI bands), as well as Low Prior Attainment, English as an Additional Language, Mobility, Sparsity and the Lump Sum.

From 2023-24 Local Authorities must move their local formula factor values at least 10% closer to the NFF, except where local formulae are already mirroring the NFF.  This was called “tightening”.

For the purpose of the tightening criteria, local factor values within 2.5% of the respective NFF values were deemed to be mirroring the NFF.  This meant that Local Authorities which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44/22

To consider the Impact Reports presented by Officers on the 2021-22 spending on De-Delegation and Education Functions and to agree to the requests for funding for 2023-24 from the De-Delegated and Education Functions.

The Forum received a report which presented impact reports on the 2021-22 spending on the De-Delegated and Education Functions for 2023-24 and sought approval for this information to be sent to schools / partnerships to vote upon.

Appendix 1 to the report contained all impact reports.

Appendix 2 to the report contained all funding requests.

The below summary detailed the requests: -

In relation to the Union Facilities Time report, a Member advised that a number of the policies listed against this report were out of date.

The Vice-Chair requested that Union Time Facilities report be reworded as it could generally be a contentious issue for schools, as a number of the policies had not been sent to schools and many were outdated.  Furteromre, the Vice-Chair suggested that the document was reworded to reflect the acutal work which had taken place in the previous year.  In addition, he stated that involving the Unions in the rewording could prove beneficial.

A Timmins agreed to update this report accordingly in light of this feedback.

The Vice-Chair, in referring to the Attendance report, advised that his Learning Community felt that an explanation around why schools had been asked to de-delegate, as the new attendance guidance stated that such services should be provided free of cost to schools.  If it was decided not to de-delegate, what would still be provided.

A Timmins advised that he would raise this matter directly with S Moore for a response.

A Member referred relation to ‘falling numbers’ and enquired whether a falling roll budget would be required, as number were falling across Sandwell at present.

A Timmins advised that he would also raise this matter directly with S Moore to respond to and report back for the next meeting.

A Timmins, furthermore, requested that a report be brought back to the next meeting detailing funding allocated for schools in financial difficulties.

Agreed that the requests for funding for 2023-24 from the De-delegated and Education Functions, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be sent to schools / partnerships to agree a recommendation for Schools Forum to consider at its next meeting.

To note the contents of the report and to consider and approve the provisional 2023/24 CSSB budget.

The Forum received a report which informed members in relation to the 2021/22 CSSB outturn, provisional 2023/24 allocation and sought approval for the same.  The 2023/24 would change when the October 2022 census figures were finalised.

In 2023/24 the central schools services block (CSSB) would continue to have two distinct elements: -

•        ongoing responsibilities, which funded all local authorities (LA) for central functions they have to deliver for all pupils in maintained schools and academies;

•        historic commitments, which funded some LAs for commitments they made prior to 2013-14 that were unwinding.

Funding for ongoing responsibilities included a protection to ensure no LA saw losses of greater than 2.5% per pupil, compared to 2022-23.  The gains cap would be set at 5.86%, the highest possible value within the limits of the available budget.

Funding for historic commitments was being reduced by 20% from LAs’ 2022-23 allocations, in line with our previously announced intention to begin to reduce this funding.

The Schools Forum received provisional 2021/22 CSSB outturn at its meeting on 20th July 2022.  The outturn table, as well as latest 2022/23 allocation, was repeated at Table 1 below.

Table 1 – Central School Services Block

*Copyright Licenses costs are paid for directly by the DfE and the DSG grant allocation paid to the authority is adjusted accordingly.

The provisional 2023/24 had been announced in July 2022 by the DfE.  The allocation was £2.297m.  This was made up of £2.18m of on-going responsibilities and £0.117m of historic commitment.

The only known figure was the 20% reduction in historic commitment.  Where possible, we have retained proposed allocation same as 2022/23 levels and any additional allocation had been earmarked against Statutory responsibilities.

The initial allocation of 2023/24 CSSB is as shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2 – 2023/24 Central School Services Block Budget

Copyright licenses would change to actual sum and would also be advised by the DfE sometime early in 2023.  In addition, the October census would inform the overall CSSB.  Once known, the School’s Forum would be updated accordingly.

Agreed that: -

         (1)     the contents of the report be noted;

(2)     the Provisional 2023/24 CSSB budget be approved.

(3)     it be noted that the CSSB is still subject to further changes when the actual Copyright licenses fees and outcome of the October 2022 census becomes known and the Forum will be advised accordingly.

To note the council’s response to the Government Consultation on Implementing the Direct NFF and make any necessary and appropriate comment.

The Forum received a report which informed Forum Members of the Council’s response to the recently concluded consultation on implementing the Direct NFF.

The government had launched the above consultation on 7th June 2022 with a closing date of 9th September 2022.

Officers had, therefore, met with a select group of Headteachers on 18th July 2022 where some of the responses to the consultation had been discussed and some of these were documented.

Officers had also received a briefing note from The Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA).

These two documents had formed the basis of the final response submitted to Government on the 8th of September 2022.

A copy of this response was attached as Appendix A to the report.

A Member referred to page 103, Question 2, and enquired if notional budgets were necessary.

M Tallents advised that this was a requirement written into the SEND Code of Practice and a formula was, therefore, required.

Agreed that the Council’s draft response to this consultation be noted.

Specialist Place Strategy Document (MT)

Specialist Place Planning Strategy 2022–27

The Forum received the Specialist Place Planning Strategy 2022–27.

Agreed that the Specialist Place Planning Strategy 2022–27 be finalised and circulated accordingly.

Future Meetings

The dates of future Forum meetings were noted, as set out below:-

         •        7 November 2022

•        12 December 2022

•        16 January 2023

•        20 March 2023

•        19 June 2023

The Next Meeting of Schools Forum: 7th November 2022 @ 2.30pm.

                  Location: Oldbury Council House.