Agenda item

Melanie Ellis introduced the report (Agenda item 13), which detailed the outturn of the services funded by the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), highlighting any under or over spends, and to highlight the cumulative deficit at 31 March 2022.

Melanie Ellis reported that at the beginning of the last financial year there had been a cumulative deficit of £1.5 million and this had increased to £1.7m by 31^st March 2022. The 2021/22 DSG expenditure budget was set at £1.6m higher than available funding and this was treated as an in-year deficit against the High Needs Block (HNB). Overall DSG spend for 2021/22 was £372k less than budgeted, helping to reduce the in-year deficit to £1.27m. The deficit against the whole of the DSG cumulatively was £2.96m.

Melanie Ellis provided an overview of each of the blocks. The Schools Block had a surplus of £1.6m. This was largely due to the Growth Fund, which had been reduced over the last two years.

The Early Years Block (EYB) had overspent by £67k and there was a deficit recovery programme in place. There was a cumulative deficit in the block amounting to £900k.

The Central Schools’ Block was underspent by £8k with a cumulative deficit of £64k, which would hopefully reduce when the next budget was set.

There had been an in year deficit of £1.2 million in the HNB and the cumulative deficit in the block was £3.6 million.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report.