Agenda item

Melanie Ellis introduced the report (Agenda Item 7), which set out the proposed 2024/25 budgets for the Growth Fund and Additional High Needs Fund.

Melanie Ellis reported that additional funding was received from the Department for Education (DfE) and the amount was normally announced later in December. The growth funding allocation was based on the difference between primary and secondary numbers on roll between the October 2022 and October 2023 census. In 2024/25, for the first time, funding would also be allocated for falling rolls.

Estimates had been provided using a calculator provided by the DfE and it was estimated that West Berkshire would receive £140k for falling rolls and combined with growth funding would receive about £647k. Melanie Ellis reported that it was not thought that any of this funding would be required for growth as there was still enough in the historical growth fund. The proposal was therefore to put the funding received into the schools funding formula to distribute to all schools.

Melanie Ellis reported that because the Forum had just voted to not reinstate a falling rolls fund, this allocation could also be put into the schools funding formula.

The second recommendation within the report was regarding funding that had been traditionally set aside from the High Needs Block to award to schools that qualified for the additional funding. The recommendation was that £150k be set aside for this.

The Vice Chair invited the Forum to consider the recommendations set out in section 2.1 and 2.2 of the report.

It was proposed and seconded that recommendation 2.1 to agree that the DfE funding allocation for growth and falling rolls was distributed to all schools via the school formula be approved. At the vote with all school representatives the motion was carried.

It was proposed and seconded that recommendation 2.2 to set the additional high needs fund at £150k be approved. At the vote with all Forum members the motion was carried.

RESOLVED that recommendations 2.1 and 2.2 be approved as set out above.