The Redbridge Schools Forum meeting scheduled for Tuesday 23 November 2021 was set to cover a range of financial and operational matters concerning the borough's schools. Key discussions were expected to focus on the provisional Dedicated Schools Grant allocation for the upcoming academic year, the monitoring of the schools budget, and the local funding formula.

Dedicated Schools Grant - Provisional Allocation 2022-23

The forum was scheduled to review the provisional Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation for the 2022-23 academic year. This report, presented by the Corporate Director of Resources and the Corporate Director of People, would summarise the provisional allocations for the Schools Block, High Needs Block, and Central School Services Block, based on the National Funding Formula. The Department for Education (DfE) had published provisional allocations in July 2021, with final figures expected in December, taking into account the October 2021 school census. The report noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limited changes had been made to the funding arrangements for 2022-23. Key changes to the Schools National Funding Formula (NFF) for Redbridge schools included a 3% increase to basic entitlement, free school meals at any time in the last six years (FSM6), income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI), lower prior attainment (LPA), English as an additional language (EAL), and the lump sum. A 2% increase was applied to the floor, minimum per pupil levels, and free school meals (FSM). The report indicated that the provisional Schools Block allocation for 2022-23 was £264.294 million, the High Needs Block £54.768 million, and the Central School Services Block £4.976 million.

Schools Budget Monitoring Quarter 2 2021-22 & Historical Schools Balances

This report detailed the forecasted reserves position for Redbridge maintained schools as of 31 March 2022, covering all income and expenditure. The forum was asked to note the quarter 2 forecasted reserves position of £20.411 million, a favourable movement of £0.321 million from quarter 1. However, there was a forecasted adverse movement of £4.467 million from the opening reserves on 1 April 2021 to the closing forecast. The report highlighted that schools were expecting reserve balances to fall in 2021-22 as they returned to a new normal after the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also noted that 47 schools were forecasting in-year deficits amounting to £5.746 million. The report also provided details of schools' revenue balances since 2016-17, a request made at the July 2021 Schools Forum meeting.

Schools Funding Consultation (Local Schools Funding Formula)

The Schools Forum was to be advised of the outcome of the 2022-23 schools funding consultation with Redbridge mainstream schools. Redbridge had moved to the Schools Block National Funding Formula in 2022-23, with funding for 5-16-year-olds based on the DfE's allocation and individual pupil characteristics. A consultation was held between 23 September and 8 October 2021, asking schools if they supported the Schools Funding Working Group applying a Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) of between 0.5% and 2% to ensure a fair, sustainable, and affordable schools block budget for 2022-23. Of the 20 responses received, 19 answered yes to the question. The Schools Funding Working Group was scheduled to meet to review and agree funding models and Schools Forum papers.

De-Delegation 2022-23

This report proposed per-pupil rates for various services to be bought back under de-delegation from mainstream maintained schools' budgets for 2022-23. Decisions on these rates were to be made separately by maintained primary and secondary school representatives. The proposed services for de-delegation included support for Schools Causing Concern, Free School Meals eligibility, Staff Costs Supply Cover, a Schools Contingency Fund, and School Improvement. The report noted that de-delegation does not apply to special schools or Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). The proposed per-pupil rates for 2022-23 were: £6.47 for Schools Causing Concern, £1.04 for Free School Meals eligibility, £4.21 for Staff Costs Supply Cover, £2.12 for Schools Contingency Fund, and £3.29 for School Improvement.

Central Block and Historical Commitments

The Schools Forum was required to approve certain centrally retained items of DSG funding from the Central Schools Services Block (CSSB) for 2022-23. The report outlined the proposed continuations for the use of the CSSB, detailing services previously funded from the CSSB's ongoing and historical commitments budgets. The overall CSSB for 2022-23 was £4.967 million, a decrease from £5.742 million in 2021-22. This reduction was attributed to a 2.5% decrease in funding for ongoing functions and a significant 20% reduction in the historical commitments element. Proposed allocations for ongoing duties included £0.656 million for school admissions, £0.332 million for Education Welfare, and £0.250 million for copyright licenses. Historical commitments included a £2.064 million contribution to combined budgets and £0.823 million for premature retirement costs.

Funding Statutory Services for Schools 2022-23

This report requested Schools Forum's approval to centrally retain the former retained duties element of the Education Services Grant (ESG), which was mainstreamed into the DSG from April 2017. The forum was asked to approve a per-pupil contribution of £25 for LA Statutory Services for maintained, mainstream schools in 2022-23, and a corresponding contribution of £28 per place for maintained special schools and PRUs. These services, previously funded by the ESG, include a range of statutory and regulatory duties for all schools, as well as specific responsibilities for maintained schools. The report noted that while the statutory duties remain, the funding has reduced, necessitating a review of current funding arrangements.

Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) Review

The forum received an update on the consultation with early years settings regarding changes to the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) for the 2022-23 financial year. The proposed change involved reducing the deprivation factor's weighting within the EYSFF from 5% to 2.5% of the provider's hourly rate. This adjustment was proposed due to a significant decrease in the number of children in Redbridge identified as living in areas of income deprivation, as indicated by updated Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) data. The consultation responses showed a split in preferences, with 40% favouring the 5% deprivation factor, 37.5% favouring 1%, and 22.5% favouring 2.5%. The recommendation was to support the change to a 97.5% base rate and 2.5% deprivation factor, as this was assessed to have the least negative financial impact on settings.

Work Plan and Future Meeting Dates

The Schools Forum's work plan for the upcoming meetings was presented, outlining the planned agenda items for November 2021, January 2022, March 2022, and July 2022. This included ongoing discussions on DSG, school grants, school budget monitoring, de-delegation, and the local schools funding formula. The dates for future meetings were confirmed as 12 January 2022 and 22 March 2022, with a return to 10 am start times.