Agenda item

Jane Seymour provided a verbal update on the High Needs Block (HNB) Proposals for 2024/25. Normally, at the current stage of the year, a detailed report would be provided on budget proposals however, further work was required by officers and members of the Heads Funding Group (HFG) on the finer detail of proposals for 2024/25. Jane Seymour confirmed that it would be a deficit budget as expected however, through this further work the aim was to contain the deficit as much as possible. A special meeting of the HFG was due to take place on 7^th February to begin this work and a full report setting out the HNB Budget proposals would be brought to the next Schools’ Forum in March. This would include proposals around the invest to save projects, which had been discussed as part of the previous report.

The Chair noted that there was a lot of work and discussion taking place. Trevor Keable queried if there was concern about the result of this process and what it would mean for schools. Jane Seymour reported that schools did not currently need to do anything and did not need to be concerned. The HNB was always an area of concern because a deficit budget had been set for several years and it was increasing. Ways to contain this, in a way that protected children’s statutory needs, were being looked at. Further detail would be brought to the next Forum meeting.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the update.