The Wandsworth Schools Forum met on Monday 6th July 2015 and decided to distribute £2 million of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) carry forward to Wandsworth schools and special schools. The Forum also agreed to allocate an additional £356,000 to schools from the 2015/16 DSG allocation.

Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Carry Forward

The Forum discussed proposals for the deployment of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) carry forward, which is funding that has not been spent in previous financial years. A significant portion of the discussion focused on a £3.124 million requirement for the rollout of the two-year-old programme and early years provision. John Johnson, Assistant Director (Education Performance and Planning), agreed to seek further details from Tim Gibson, Head of Schools Finance (Interim), regarding the parameters of this ring-fenced funding, its necessity, and the potential for reallocation to providers, including schools.

The Forum noted an increase in the proposed DSG carry forward amounts compared to those agreed in January 2015. Mr. Johnson confirmed that the Council did not intend to retain funding but required contingency for future risks. Ultimately, the Forum decided that the immediate spending demands on schools, particularly due to increased employers' teacher pension contributions from September 2015, outweighed the need to increase the DSG carry forward to £6,086,000. Consequently, the Forum agreed to distribute £2,000,000 of the carry forward to Wandsworth schools via the School Funding Formula and to special schools based on pupil places, using the weightings outlined in the relevant paper. The Forum will further consider the deployment of the DSG carry forward in October, when more details on early years and high needs provision, as well as future risks, are expected to be available.

2015-16 DSG Allocation and Projected Variances

An update on the 2015/16 Dedicated Schools Grant allocation and projected spend was presented by Mr. Gibson. Following discussion, the Forum agreed to allocate an additional £356,000 to schools, as detailed in the appendix to the DSG outturn paper. A further £246,000 allocated within the high needs block will be deployed within that block.

Operation of Special Schools Trading Accounts

The Forum received a paper on the operation of special schools trading accounts, which aim to recover income from other Local Authorities (LAs). The Forum noted the contents of the paper and supported the continued operation of this service in its current format, recognising that it was functioning well.

Schools Funding Formula

A report on the Schools Funding Formula was introduced by Mr. Gibson. After reviewing the report's findings, the Forum concluded that a significant review of the funding formula was not necessary before the 2016/17 academic year. They agreed on the extent to which funding gains would be capped to balance the overall formula allocation for the following year and how this would be managed within the formula.

Other Matters

The Forum noted a report recommending amendments to the membership of the Wandsworth Schools Forum to ensure compliance with the Schools Forum (England) Regulations (2012). The Forum acknowledged that under the new membership composition, there were two vacancies for Academy representatives, one for a maintained Primary representative, and one for an Early Years Partnership representative.

The Forum agreed to defer discussions on XL@Aspire at Southfields Academy and Schools Forum Consultation until their next meeting in October. They also requested an update on LPFA funding for the upcoming meeting.

The Forum thanked Andy Marks for his supportive contributions and congratulated him on his retirement.

The next meeting of the Wandsworth Schools Forum is scheduled for Monday, 5th October 2015, at 4:30 p.m. in the Town Hall.