Issue - meetings

a.      The Barnet Schools Budget 2019/20

IH clarified that this section required decisions by Schools Forum on recommendations i – iv.  The decisions are needed to enable submission of the Authority Proforma Tool by the deadline of 21 January, confirming Barnet’s formula funding proposals for 2019/20.

IH explained that, following the announcement that an additional £0.964m HN allocation funding will be received in 2019/20, Barnet council has chosen to withdraw the request submitted to the Secretary of State to transfer 0.5% of the Schools block allocation to the High Needs block.

IH went on to highlight that now the transfer to the HN block is no longer required, the Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) can be set at 0%, ensuring no school in Barnet will receive less money per pupil in 2019/20 than it did in 2018/19.  To ensure this level of MFG protection is affordable, the cap on gains has been set at 0.5% per pupil for those school gaining from the National Funding Formula.

Schools Forum needs to agree the funding rates shown in Table 2, the 0% MFG and 0.5% cap as proposed, and also must agree the local criteria applied for growth and split site funding.

IH then explained the figures shown in Appendices I and II. Appendix I shows the Minimum Funding Guarantee per pupil funding in 2018/19, and shows the top-up or cap value applied to schools in 2019/20 in line with the 0% protection/+0.5% cap proposed.  Appendix II then shows the indicative school level formula funding, the de-delegation (£0.582m) and the £1m de-delegation for Education Functions (former ESG services) which the Secretary of State has now approved. 

As a result of SoS approval for services formerly funded from the ESG to be charged to the budgets of maintained primary and secondary schools, the modelling shown in Appendices III & IV are no longer relevant.

ML queried the lump sum value for 2019/20 in the National Funding Formula.  CG confirmed it remains the same as 2018/19 - £120,783.

KN asked about Dollis Infant and Junior schools being shown as a primary school in the models and asked if the merger had been confirmed.  IH confirmed that the figure was dependent on the final decision following consultation and would be changed to 2 separate schools if the merger does not go ahead.

SV asked if there were any proposed changes to the hourly funding rate for 2 year olds. CG confirmed that the rate will remain the same as in 2018/19 - £6 per hour.

SH drew attention to the level of Minimum Funding Guarantee protection applied because of the 0% MFG proposal, with a total cost of £8.666m.  IH replied that the National Funding Formula rates adversely affect the majority of Barnet schools, and the NFF affects London areas more significantly than elsewhere.  Barnet has decided to protect schools by offering a 0% MFG, but the standard MFG under the National Funding Formula would allow schools to lose a maximum of -1.5% per pupil against 2018/19  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7