Agenda item

Members to note the Dedicated Schools Grant Outturn 2021/22.

The Forum received a report for information which detailed the actual expenditure incurred for the Dedicated Schools Grant blocks of funding; Early Year Block Central School Services Block, centrally retained and the de-delegated budgets in financial year 2021/22.

The Early Years Block allocation for 2021/22 was £22.715m.  The actual grant allocation income received was £22.156m because of an early adjustment; the net effect of which was £0.559m.

Table 1 detailed the actual expenditure incurred during 2021/22 regarding the use of the Early Years Block.

Table 1 – Early Years Block

Table 2 detailed the actual expenditure incurred regarding the use of the Central School Services Block.

       Table 2 – Central School Services Block

       Pupil Number Growth Funding

The Pupil number growth allocation agreed by Schools forum was £1.091m.  The DfE made a positive adjustment for pupil number growth funding paid to academies for the period April to August of the previous financial year.  The academies adjustment for 2021/22 was £0.605m giving total in year funding available of £1.696m.

Table 3 – Pupil Number Growth Funding

A surplus balance of £1.117m was brought forward from 2020/21, this with the in-year overspend of £0.781m, the carry forward balance into 2022/23 was £0.336m.

De-delegated Budgets

Table 4 detailed the breakdown of the de-delegated budgets, expenditure, and variance.

Table 4 – De-delegated Budgets

Education Functions

Table 5 provided a breakdown of the Education Functions budgets, expenditure, and variance.

Table 5 – Education Functions

The Chair enquired if, in relation to schools facing financial difficulties, any school had requested additional support.

R Kerr advised that there were certain criteria a school would first have to meet to qualify, including posting a deficit in the close down of their previous years budget and there was only one school in this position in 2021/22.  However, having worked with the school concerned, this had since been resolved and a balance budget had now been submitted.

Agreed that: -

(1)     the contents of the report be noted;

(2)     it be noted that a further report will be taken to the School Forum meeting on 26^th September 2022 which will set out the impact of the de-delegated budget expenditure with recommendations on the use of any carry forwards.