Agenda item

The Schools’ Forum considered the criteria for funding pupil growth and class size funding and the “in principle” amount of funding required to support it. The Head of ECS Finance explained that this item was linked to the previous one as it would have an effect of the use of any head room. £1m would be held centrally, it was purely for running costs and did not include any capital costs.

For a number of years Bromley had faced enormous pressure to find reception places for increasing numbers of pupils.  In order for schools to be able to comply with these requests additional revenue funding had been allocated to schools through a specific factor in the funding formula.  In 2012/13 the funding was approximately £970k. But following the review of the funding formula local authorities were no longer allowed to have a separate factor in the funding formulas to provide their funding to schools.  However, dependant on certain requirements, funding for significant pupil growth could be retained centrally, before the formula was calculated; funding for additional classes as a consequence of infant class size regulations could be funded as part of this.

In light of this officers were recommending the following criteria and funding principles for which they sought approval from the Schools’ Forum:

i)  Where schools were required to take in between 1 and 6 additional reception pupils for each form of entry, class size legislation funding to be paid for the relevant period only (ie Sept to March) and that the amount of funding should increase to £35,000 for a full year.

(ii)  Where schools were required to take in 7 or more pupils, they will be expected to open an additional class and funding will be calculated as follows:

AWPU x 30 x7/12ths

SEN per pupil funding x 30 x school % x7/12ths

Deprivation per pupil funding x 30 x school % x 7/12ths

EAL per pupil funding x 30 x school % x 7/12ths

  For example, based on the funding levels in the current modelling, a school taking in 30 pupils and with 10% SEN, 15% deprivation and 3% EAL would receive the following funding

AWPU = £2185 x 30 x 7/12ths = £38,237

SEN = £2500 x 3 x 7/12ths = £4,375

Dep = £1500 x 4.5 x 7/12ths = £3,937

EAL = £1000 x 0.9 x 7/12ths = £525

  Total Funding = £47,074

(iii)  Funding would be allocated to all primary schools ie maintained primary schools and academy primaries and would be paid directly by the LA in 7 monthly instalments from Sept to March.

(iv)  This policy would be reviewed in future years to be extended to secondary schools as and when the increase in pupil numbers reached that sector.

The Forum were concerned that if the funding was based on the October census and pupils started in November the school would not receive funding for those pupils.  However officers confirmed that the majority would be funded from September but if they started late there could be a problem.  The department would only intervene if there was a significant difference.

The Forum was concerned that this was an interim measure and that the funding was not sustainable long term and the Forum should be looking for sustainable solutions to the class size issues.

The policy would be reviewed to take account of the secondary but as these pupils were a known entity “bulge classes” were not a problem.

The representative for Secondary Academies wanted clarification as to how officers had arrived at their figure of £1m.  In response the Head of ECS Finance explained that it was based on an average of 16 bulge classes and it needed to be kept centrally as it would have to be allocated at certain times. Members asked for more information on how this figure was reached as they were concerned at tying up such a large sum for children who did not yet exist and have a more accurate demographic. Officers would provide this at the next meeting together with projections for 2013/14.

RESOLVED that  the proposed criteiria for funding pupil growth and infant class size funding are agreed.