Decision details

To consider the report of Senior Manager Children and Young People Strategic Commissioning recommending the adoption of the new schools funding formula containing up to 12 factors and populated by statistical data supplied by the Department for Education.

The Department for Education has announced that from financial year 2013/14 Local Authorities must implement a simple more consistent and transparent local funding system for schools.

(i)  To approve the implementation of the new Southampton funding formula for schools with effect from 1 April 2013 as described in Appendix 1.

The Department for Education (DfE) has introduced new regulations to introduce school funding reform from April 2013.  These require local authorities to develop a new formula and delegate funding to schools that had previously been held centrally.

All funding options were taken to the Schools Forum and a working group of head teachers and governors was set up.  A number of different factors were modelled and various alternatives were considered.  Whilst the majority of these proposals are based on the recommendations of the Schools Forum, the final decision on the new schools funding formula lies with the Local Authority.