1) Please state whether your local authority overspent its budget for the high needs / special educational needs funding block in each of the following financial years:
a) 2018-19
b) 2017-18
c) 2016-17
d) 2015-16
Yes, for each of the financial years above.
2) If so, please state the amount of the overspend, in
a) percentage
b) cash
terms, in each of the following financial years:
Please see the table below. We should clarify that these calculations use the funding High Needs Block allocations prior to recoupment
| Percentage | Cash | |
| 2018-19 | 6.14% | £4.2 million |
| 2017-18 | 3.28% | £2.1 million |
| 2016-17 | 6.4% | £3.9 million |
| 2015-16 | 6.85% | £4.2 million |
3)
a) Please state whether your authority has asked for approval from your local schools forum to move money from the schools funding block to the high needs / special educational needs funding block in each of the following financial years:
b) Whether it was approved or denied in each year.
i) 2018-19
ii) 2017-18 :
iii) 2016-17
iv) 2015-16
Approval was sought only in the 2017/18 financial year and it was denied.
4) If this was approved, please state the amount of money transferred from the schools funding block to the high needs / special educational needs funding block in
a) percentage of the total schools funding block
b) cash
terms, in each of the following financial years:
i) 2018-19
ii) 2017-18
iii) 2016-17
iv) 2015-16
With reference to the position only in the 2017/18 financial year, we can confirm that it was 0.45% and £2.2 million. This calculation uses the total Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) position prior to grant carry forwards
5) If this was not initially approved, please state whether
a) Your authority appealed to the Secretary of State against a decision by the schools forum to refuse such a request or sought direct permission for such a request and
b) What the outcome of this appeal or direct application was
for each of the following financial years:
i) 2018-19
ii) 2017-18
iii) 2016-17
iv) 2015-16
An appeal was made with respect to the 2017/18 financial year.
The £2.2m was agreed, but the deficit had to be offset from DSG surpluses in Growth Funding