Agenda item

Avril Allenby introduced the report to the Schools’ Forum, which set out the proposal for the Early Years budget.

As proposed in the consultation there would be a universal base rate required for all types of providers. The Early Years Pupil Premium Grant and deprivation funding would continue at the current rate of £1. There would also be a Disability Access Fund (DAF). £615 per child, per year, would be payable to children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.

A Special Education Needs (SEN) Inclusion Fund would be required by April 2017 and the details would be published by the local authority as part of its local offer.

Avril Allenby drew attention to paragraph 3.14 of the report, which stated that the pass through rate had been confirmed as 93% for 2017/18 and 95% thereafter.

Avril Allenby stated that it was important to remember the context of the changes, when the Government would be introducing an additional 15 hours for three to four year olds from September 2017. It was anticipated that this offer would experience a high level of uptake in West Berkshire. The Early Years budget was particularly difficult to predict.

Regarding the budget model for 2017/18, it was proposed that for three and four year olds West Berkshire used a single base rate of £4.25 with a quality supplement of £0.65 and a deprivation supplement based upon the current arrangements with the funding being linked to the early year’s pupil premium. For two year olds the proposed rate was £5.45. The three year budget model was contained within the appendices to the report.

Attention was drawn to the table on page 47 of the report. The provider funding rates would need to be revisited each year in order to balance the budget by 2019/20.

The Chairman asked the Forum to vote on the recommendation set out under paragraph 1.1 of the report. Suzanne Taylor proposed that the Forum agree the recommendation and Chris Davis seconded the proposal and at the vote the motion was carried.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum agreed the three year budget model for the Early Years block, based upon the recommendations of the Early Years Funding Group.

The Chairman asked the Forum to vote on the recommendation set out under 1.1 of the report under agenda item six (Final Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Budget 2017/18). Chris Prosser proposed that the Forum agree the recommendation and Peter Hudson seconded the proposal and at the vote the motion was carried.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum agreed the overall DSG Budget for 2017/18, having considered the other reports contained on the agenda.