Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report, which aimed to advise the Schools’ Forum on planned place allocation currently to special schools, resourced schools, FE providers and mainstream sixth forms and likely numbers of pupils in those institutions requiring place funding in 2018-19.

Ian Pearson highlighted the table on page 87 of the report, which showed places currently funded by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and actual places currently filled across schools. The issue was the number of places overall. The ESFA would base 2018/19 financial year place funding on the place funding allocated for 2017/18 and there would be no opportunity for local authorities to request additional planned places. Local authorities would have flexibility to move planned place funding between institutions however the overall number of planned places would be capped.

Ian Pearson used the Castle School as an example as there were 147 planned places allocated however, there were 169 pupils. Other schools such as the Winchcombe had 15 planned places allocated however, only 12 were occupied. Places that were not required needed to be re-allocated where they were needed.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report and that any implications for the High Needs Budget would be incorporated in to the report, which would be brought to the next meeting on the draft High Needs Block Budget for 2018-19.