Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report (Agenda Item 10), which provided a review of the Vulnerable Children’s Grant (VCG) 2021/2022.

Ian Pearson explained that the Schools’ Forum had agreed expenditure within the High Needs Block for the VCG and accountability needed to be provided for this expenditure through reporting on how the money had been spent and the impact. The VCG was a new fund and the report set out some of the background and what the funding was used for.

The grant was aimed at new arrivals, including in-year arrivals in schools, who were presenting with a level of need but where there was no obvious source of funding.

The report set out that in 2021/22, 52 pupils from 26 settings were supported. The small pie chart on page 26 showed clearly that the majority of children presenting with a need that had been supported by the grant, had social, emotional and mental health needs.

Ian Pearson highlighted that positive feedback had been received from schools accessing the grant. Although the grant did not provide a long term solution for schools it enabled schools to take stock of what the needs were, before addressing them initially and then working out how needs could be addressed in the longer term.

Paul Davey asked if the grant was available to refugee children without English as a first language. Ian Pearson explained that theoretically a school could access the grant on behalf of any child that was presenting with issues that were preventing a child from accessing learning. However, he suggested that it would worth looking at other funding route options. There were two main groups of refugee children being provided for in West Berkshire and these were from Afghanistan and the Ukraine. The Government was providing education funding for these two groups. The funding had been deployed through support services or directly to schools, which could then be used to buy support. Funding had already been received for Afghan refugee children and was due to arrive for those from the Ukraine in July 2022. Ian Pearson explained that this was dedicated funding for refugee children and their needs. 

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report.