Issue - meetings

This report recommends changes to some factors within the Local Management of Schools (LMS) Funding Formula prior to April 2008.  The report sets out the responses received from schools during the recent consultation exercise and the resulting recommendations of the Schools Forum

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to:

·        Agree the following in relation to the Local Management of Schools (LMS) Funding Formula for implementation from April 2008:

(a)   That the current balance of primary to secondary funding (on a per pupil basis) be maintained throughout the 3-year budget period 2008-11. The only exceptions to this would be additional national allocations specifically targeted at a particular sector, or new delegations that are already being allocated to a specific sector or group of schools outside of the formula funding. Within these parameters it is further recommended that any above inflation headroom available within the primary sector be allocated in the first instance to the Reception Age Weighted Pupil Units (AWPU), with the aim of lowering the assumed ration of pupil to teachers to 1 teacher and 1 teaching assistant for every 26 pupils over a period of time.

(b)   Transfer School Improvement funding in to the LMS Funding Formula on the following basis:

o       Nursery, primary, secondary and special school lumps sums are increased by £3,356 plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Reception, key stage 1,2,3 and 4 AWPUs are each increased by £10.41 plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Nursery unit factors (based on multiples of 13 part-time places) are each increased by £67.67 (i.e. £10.41 x 13/2) plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Special school place values are each increased by £20.82 plus any normal inflationary increase (and then subject to any further changes that are agreed as part of the review of special school funding).

(c)   Transfer Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) funding in the LMS Funding Formula with an additional LMS Funding Formula factor being established for NQTs at a rate of £700 per NQT per term, plus the standard teacher’s pay inflationary uplift applied to all other areas of the funding formula. Payment will be made on actual basis termly in arrears.

(d)   Redistribution per pupil and lump sum funding with the Additional Education Needs (AEN), Non-statemented and Statemented Special Educational Needs (SEN) factors on the following basis.

o       A 10% redistribution of per pupil and lump sum funding in to the Free School Meal (FSM) deprivation indicator.

o       A 10% redistribution of per pupil and lump sum funding in to the Low Prior Attainment indicators.

o       Establishing separate SEN Contingencies for the primary and secondary sectors of £50k each, to be allocated annually by the Schools Forum.

o       Including Looked After Children (LAC) as an additional indictor within the AEN factor.

(e)   That no further changes be made to the secondary personalisation factor for the period 2008-11.

(f)     That the primary personalisation factor should be changed so that funding is allocated in the same basis as the existing secondary allocations, i.e:

o       15% based on pupil numbers

o       15% based a lump sum for each school

o       50% based on low prior attainment

o       20% based on high prior attainment

(g)   That further research be undertaken before any move to using the Index  ...  view the full decision text for item 56

Members considered a report that recommended changes to some factors within the Local Management of Schools (LMS) Funding Formula prior to April 2008. The report also set out the responses received from schools during the recent consultation exercise and the resulting recommendations of the Schools Forum.

Members asked for the actual costs of funding newly qualified teachers (NQT). Officers said this was £1,1000 per term of which funding from the LMS was £700 per term.

Members noted the tremendous response received from the local schools and thanked them for all their hard work in connection with the consultation process.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to:

·        Agree the following in relation to the Local Management of Schools (LMS) Funding Formula for implementation from April 2008:¹

(a)   That the current balance of primary to secondary funding (on a per pupil basis) be maintained throughout the 3-year budget period 2008-11. The only exceptions to this would be additional national allocations specifically targeted at a particular sector, or new delegations that are already being allocated to a specific sector or group of schools outside of the formula funding. Within these parameters it is further recommended that any above inflation headroom available within the primary sector be allocated in the first instance to the Reception Age Weighted Pupil Units (AWPU), with the aim of lowering the assumed ration of pupil to teachers to 1 teacher and 1 teaching assistant for every 26 pupils over a period of time.

(b)   Transfer School Improvement funding in to the LMS Funding Formula on the following basis:

o       Nursery, primary, secondary and special school lumps sums are increased by £3,356 plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Reception, key stage 1,2,3 and 4 AWPUs are each increased by £10.41 plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Nursery unit factors (based on multiples of 13 part-time places) are each increased by £67.67 (i.e. £10.41 x 13/2) plus any normal inflationary increase.

o       Special school place values are each increased by £20.82 plus any normal inflationary increase (and then subject to any further changes that are agreed as part of the review of special school funding).

(c)   Transfer Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) funding in the LMS Funding Formula with an additional LMS Funding Formula factor being established for NQTs at a rate of £700 per NQT per term, plus the standard teacher’s pay inflationary uplift applied to all other areas of the funding formula. Payment will be made on actual basis termly in arrears.

(d)   Redistribution per pupil and lump sum funding with the Additional Education Needs (AEN), Non-statemented and Statemented Special Educational Needs (SEN) factors on the following basis.

o       A 10% redistribution of per pupil and lump sum funding in to the Free School Meal (FSM) deprivation indicator.

o       A 10% redistribution of per pupil and lump sum funding in to the Low Prior Attainment indicators.

o       Establishing separate SEN Contingencies for the primary and secondary sectors of £50k each, to be allocated annually  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56