Councillor Zena Brabazon, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, met on Monday 22 January 2024 to approve changes to Haringey Council's local schools funding formula for the 2024-25 financial year. The decision was made urgently to ensure the council met its legal obligations to submit funding data to the Department for Education by the deadline.

Haringey Council's Local Schools Funding Formula for 2024/25

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families approved changes to Haringey Council's local schools funding formula for the 2024-25 financial year. This decision was necessary to align with the Schools National Funding Formula set by the Department for Education (DfE) and to meet the legal requirement of submitting the Authority Proforma Tool to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) by 22 January 2024. The decision was deemed urgent, and the call-in procedure was waived to avoid prejudicing the council's interests.

The approved changes include:

• Adopting Model 1 from the consultation with schools, which sets the Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) at 0.46% for all schools.
• Noting the transfer of 0.50% from the Schools Block allocation to the High Needs Block, as agreed by the Schools' Forum under the safety valve agreement with the DfE. This transfer is estimated at £1.129 million.
• Setting the Growth Fund at £300,000.
• Agreeing to a block transfer of £122,000 from the Schools Block to the Central Block for Education Welfare Services, pending DfE consent.
• Agreeing to a block transfer of £60,000 from the Schools Block to the Early Years Block to fund a nursery school on a split site, also dependent on DfE consent.
• Agreeing to the de-delegation of £210,000 for Trade Union Representation for maintained schools only.

The council consulted with all maintained and academy schools in the borough on the proposed changes. Model 1, which replicates the National Funding Formula (NFF), was chosen over Model 2, which involved variations to the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU), as Model 2 was deemed unaffordable and would have required a disapplication request to the Secretary of State. The consultation results showed that 22 schools preferred Model 2, while 10 preferred Model 1. However, affordability and adherence to NFF regulations made Model 1 the only viable option.

The report highlighted that the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is divided into four blocks: Schools Block, High Needs Block, Early Years Block, and Central School Services Block. The changes aim to ensure equitable distribution of funding and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The decision aligns with the council's People Priority, which focuses on providing young people with the best start in life through education and support.

The financial implications of the decision are detailed in Appendix 2 of the report, showing indicative allocations for each school for 2024-25. The report also confirmed that the recommended changes are affordable and contained within the total 2024-25 DSG funding allocation.

The meeting also noted the notice of filming at meetings. There were no apologies for absence, no urgent business raised outside of the main agenda item, and no declarations of interest or deputations/petitions received.