Agenda item

Melanie Ellis introduced the report (Agenda Item 6), which set out the final school funding formula allocations for 2023/24 and aimed to review the consultation on the Primary Schools in Financial Difficulty (PSIFD) Fund.

It was noted that there were two parts to the report. The first part sought to inform the Schools’ Forum of the final funding rates and allocations to schools. These had been set using the methodologies previously approved by the Forum. This information would be subject to political ratification and the funding would be allocated to schools by the 28^th February 2023.

Melanie Ellis highlighted that the second part of the report aimed to review the consultation responses on the PSIFD. 12 schools had responded to the consultation in total and the summary of the responses was included under 4.4 of the report. The majority of support had been for stopping the fund and to move to a zero balance, which made the responses to questions three and four in the consultation irrelevant because these were about the size of the maximum bid and how often schools could bid should the fund continue.

Based on the consultation results, the recommendation from the Heads Funding Group (HFG) was to stop the fund immediately and redistribute the remaining balance of £39k back out to schools via the de-delegation mechanism.

Catie Colston asked what the response rate was to the consultation and Melanie Ellis confirmed that 12 out of about 68 schools had responded. Catie Colston noted the low rate of response and queried if a decision was normally based on those that answered even if it was a low rate. Melanie Ellis reported that the usual process was that a recommendation would be based on those that answered because all schools had been given the opportunity to respond. Keith Harvey believed that the matter had also been discussed with primary headteachers and headteachers had been encouraged to respond if they wanted to. Therefore it was felt there had been plenty of opportunity provided. The Chair agreed that there had been ample opportunity provided for schools to respond and the low rate was disappointing. The consultation had made it clear that the majority view would be taken in to account.

Councillor Dominic Boeck referred to the funding allocations and final distribution to schools and queried how the political decision was taken on this. Melanie Ellis reported that this was an Individual Decision taken by Councillor Ross Mackinnon. This was scheduled and would take place on 28^th February 2023.

The Schools Forum considered the HFG recommendation, based on the consultation responses, to stop the PSIFD Fund and redistribute the balance (£39k) back to schools via the de-delegations mechanism. It was proposed and seconded that the HFG recommendation should be approved. The Chair invited the Forum to vote on the recommendation and at the vote the recommendation was approved.

RESOLVED that:

• The Schools’ Forum noted the recommendation 2.1 (a), which was to note the final formula rates and allocations to schools, subject to political ratification and allocation to schools by 28^th February 2023. 
• The Schools’ Forum agreed, in line with the consultation responses and the recommendation from the HFG, that the PSIFD Fund should stop and the balance should be redistributed back to schools via the de-delegations mechanism.