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A message from Patrick Leeson:

19 October 2017 weekly update

19 October 2017

This week, Patrick shares the agenda for the November Headteacher Briefings, the forthcoming consultation with all schools and academies regarding changes to the schools’ local funding formula and High Needs funding.

Dear Colleagues

Headteacher Briefings and Consultation on School Funding

The next round of Headteacher Briefings in November will focus on the implications of the new National Funding Formula and the possible changes for schools’ budgets from April 2018. We will also present the findings of the review of High Needs Funding and our proposed changes, also from April 2018.

The Headteacher Briefings are on:

Tuesday, 14 November - 9am for 9:30am start - 12pm - Mercure Hotel Brands Hatch

Thursday, 16 November - 9am for 9:30am start -12pm - Canterbury Cricket Ground

Monday, 20 November - 1pm for 1:30pm start - 4pm - Ashford International Hotel

Thursday, 30 November - 1pm for 1:30pm start - 4pm - Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

The agenda for the meetings is as follows:

  • The National Funding Formula
  • Review of High Needs Funding
  • Children’s Services Integration Programme
  • Education Services Company
  • Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services

We will be launching a consultation with all schools and academies on Monday 30 October regarding changes to the schools’ local funding formula, which calculates your annual school budget. Please let us have your views about the options for allocating the funding from April 2018.

In response to the Government’s decision to introduce a National Funding Formula alongside an additional £1.3billion investment in education nationally, we now have to consider how quickly we move towards mirroring the national formula in Kent and more specifically what factors and rates we change from 1 April 2018. Clearly this will be an important consultation and it will be discussed in greater detail at the November Headteacher briefings.

The consultation views will be shared with the Schools’ Funding Forum on 1 December and then with Cabinet on 11 December before a final decision is taken.

High Needs Block

The introduction of a national funding formula for High Needs will have the biggest implications for Kent. The DfE has confirmed that our High Needs funding under a NFF will increase by a mere 0.5%. Although this is a small increase, it is welcome as the earlier DfE consultation proposed no increase or worse, a funding reduction. However, following the introduction of a NFF for High Needs, Kent is confirmed as a floor funded authority meaning that we attract approximately £16m of floor funding. The major concern for Kent as a floor authority is we will effectively receive no additional funding for High Needs for the next 3 to 4 years as the floor funding is gradually eroded. We therefore have a capped High Needs budget for the medium term and this means that any High Needs pupil growth within Kent will have to be absorbed within the existing budget limits.

High Needs numbers are showing no signs of levelling let alone reducing. Shown below in the graph is the growth in high needs numbers since 2013-14. Our latest forecast suggests that the number of high needs pupils and students who are attracting top up funding is around 9% higher than last year.

We have recently undertaken a detailed review into the system for providing High Needs funding to mainstream schools and there are proposals, following the review, to make a number of changes from 1 April 2018. Affordability has been a key objective of this review and we will need to ensure that the new system will remain within the annual budget level. We are now also reviewing the system for providing High Needs top up payments to FE Colleges, again with a view to ensuring the new system will remain within the annual budget level.

We will set out our proposals at the next Headteacher Briefings in November. I hope you will be able to attend one of the meetings. For more information about the NFF consultation please contact Simon.Pleace@kent.gov.uk. Finance Business Partner for Children, Young People and Education.

To book a place, please email eypssupportteam@kent.gov.uk confirming your name and school, and the session you are able to join.

I hope to see you at one of the meetings.

Patrick Leeson
Corporate Director
Children, Young People and Education