Agenda item

Melanie Ellis introduced the report (Agenda Item 7), which set out the proposed 2023-24 budgets for the Growth Fund, Primary Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund (PSIFD) and Additional High Needs Fund. 

There were three recommendations in the report as follows:

2.1) The Agree that the 2023-24 growth allocation is distributed to all schools via the school formula. This was estimated to be in the region of £900k. Melanie Ellis added that even if the whole allocation was distributed to schools there would still be about £1m remaining in the fund.

2.2) To defer the decision on the Primary Schools In Financial Difficulty (PSIFD) fund to the next round of meetings.  Melanie Ellis reported that there had been a detailed discussion on this at the Heads’ Funding Group (HFG) and it was decided that there should be a consultation with primary schools with detailed questions on the PSIFD fund. This consultation would go out to primary schools shortly. The decision on the PSIFD fund would therefore need to be deferred until the next round of meetings in January 2023. 

2.3) To set the Additional High Needs Fund at £65k. The table in section seven of the report showed that the estimate spend in the current year was £70k.

The Chair invited the Forum to comment on the recommendations and no comments were received.

It was proposed and seconded that that recommendation 2.1 be approved. At the vote with all school members the motion was approved.

It was proposed and seconded that recommendation 2.3 be approved. At the vote with all Forum members the motion was approved.

RESOLVED that recommendations 2.1 and 2.3 were approved. The decision on the PSIFD Fund would be taken at the next round of meetings in January 2023.