Issue - meetings

Purpose of report

To provide the cabinet member with an update on the latest developments in respect of the future schools revenue funding arrangements for the financial year 2022-23. 

RECOMMENDED that the cabinet member:

(1)  Notes the Department for Education's proposed changes to school revenue funding arrangements for 2022-23, as set out in this report.

(2)  Approves the proposals for implementing the local funding formula arrangements as set out in this report in particular to:

·       Implement the National Funding Formula rates for both primary and secondary schools in 2022-23 as set out in Appendix 1

·       Implement a minimum funding guarantee (MFG) of at least +0.5% and up to +2.0% subject to affordability, for 2022-23 as set out in paragraph 5.8

·       The method of managing affordability as set out in paragraph 5.10

·       Implement the disapplication request as set out in section 6

The report was introduced by Angela Mann, Finance Manager.

In response to questions officers clarified the following:

With regard to the MFG protection for Ark Charter Academy Angela explained originally schools were protected based on the actual value received and not on per pupil numbers.  Ark Charter Academy historically had a large protection and when it changed to per pupils, the expansion of the school meant that the pupil numbers increased and they would not need the whole of that protection anymore.  The disapplication request is to keep the protection they had for the 600 pupils but where they have expanded the protection does not apply.  The disapplication is to protect Ark Charter Academy's budgets and to allow them to expand but not disproportionately give them more money.  It is likely that this would be the last year this would be needed.

The deadline for submitting responses to the national funding formula was 30 September 2021 and officers were not sure whether they had published the results of this yet.  There is a forum to meet with other local authorities and Angela said she would find out and let members know responses to this. The impact on Portsmouth schools was not as big as what it would have been if we were not on the national funding formula. Members commented that appendix 2 was very informative.

Officers will be looking at the budget between now and the next Cabinet member meeting in December to proposed where they will be allocating the budget.

DECISIONS: the cabinet member:

(1) Noted the Department for Education's proposed changes to school revenue funding arrangements for 2022-23, as set out in this report.

(2) Approved the proposals for implementing the local funding formula arrangements as set out in this report in particular to:

·       Implement the National Funding Formula rates for both primary and secondary schools in 2022-23 as set out in Appendix 1

·       Implement a minimum funding guarantee (MFG) of at least +0.5% and up to +2.0% subject to affordability, for 2022-23 as set out in paragraph 5.8

·       The method of managing affordability as set out in paragraph 5.10

·       Implement the disapplication request as set out in section 6