As we are now in its fifth year of operation, and a review of High Needs funding in Mainstream schools was taking place, it felt like an appropriate time to also review the use of High Needs funding available to Colleges. The next step is to implement the findings of the review; this will be done by setting up a Further Education Strategy Task and Finish group early in 2018. The Forum requested an updated once the Task and Finish group had completed their work. Julie Ely 5 School Funding arrangements for 2018-19 and 2019-20 It was explained that this is an annual item where members of the SFF make recommendations for any changes to Kent’s local funding formula for the forthcoming financial year. These recommendations are then considered by the KCC Cabinet Member with responsibility for school funding who has final decision-making power. The factors and rates used in the local funding formula will be for the period April to March for LA Maintained Schools and September to August for Academies and Free Schools. The significance of recommendations for 2018-19 is more important than it has been for many years due to the long-awaited move towards a National Funding Formula (NFF) for Schools. Milestones and background information The Government consulted in 2017 on the introduction of a NFF for schools from 1 April 2018 and had an unprecedented 26,000 responses. The Government’s detailed response to their consultation was published in September 2017. At the SFF meeting on the 29 September a paper on the outcome of the consultation was presented. In addition, the Council set out the principles of a forthcoming consultation it planned to hold with Kent schools in November. To access a copy of the relevant documents from the meeting on the 29 September, click on the following links. The schools’ consultation ran for the period 30 October to 26 November. To engage schools in this important consultation the following communications were made: Presentations to Business Managers Finance Information Groups on the 16, 18, 19 and 20 October. Presentation to the Kent Association of Governors County Assembly 30 October 2017 Edu Kent Expo presentation 8 November 2017
As we are now in its fifth year of operation, and a review of High Needs funding in Mainstream schools was taking place, it felt like an appropriate time to also review the use of High Needs funding available to Colleges. The next step is to implement the findings of the review; this will be done by setting up a Further Education Strategy Task and Finish group early in 2018. The Forum requested an updated once the Task and Finish group had completed their work. Julie Ely 5 School Funding arrangements for 2018-19 and 2019-20 It was explained that this is an annual item where members of the SFF make recommendations for any changes to Kent’s local funding formula for the forthcoming financial year. These recommendations are then considered by the KCC Cabinet Member with responsibility for school funding who has final decision-making power. The factors and rates used in the local funding formula will be for the period April to March for LA Maintained Schools and September to August for Academies and Free Schools. The significance of recommendations for 2018-19 is more important than it has been for many years due to the long-awaited move towards a National Funding Formula (NFF) for Schools. Milestones and background information The Government consulted in 2017 on the introduction of a NFF for schools from 1 April 2018 and had an unprecedented 26,000 responses. The Government’s detailed response to their consultation was published in September 2017. At the SFF meeting on the 29 September a paper on the outcome of the consultation was presented. In addition, the Council set out the principles of a forthcoming consultation it planned to hold with Kent schools in November. To access a copy of the relevant documents from the meeting on the 29 September, click on the following links. The schools’ consultation ran for the period 30 October to 26 November. To engage schools in this important consultation the following communications were made: Presentations to Business Managers Finance Information Groups on the 16, 18, 19 and 20 October. Presentation to the Kent Association of Governors County Assembly 30 October 2017 Edu Kent Expo presentation 8 November 2017