Agenda and minutes

In the event the fire alarm sounds attendees will be advised to evacuate the building via the nearest fire exit and assemble at the Bottle of Notes opposite MIMA.

The Chair welcomed all present to the meeting and read out the Building Evacuation Procedure.

The Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for Education and Culture considered a Schools’ Budget Report.

The report sought approval of the final formula factors and rates for the Middlesbrough schools formula for 2025/2026, which were detailed in Appendix A of the report, following consultation with the Middlesbrough Schools' Management Forum (SMF) on 15 January 2025.

The local authority was required by the Schools Revenue Funding 2025 to 2026 Operational Guide to decide upon the formula which they would use to determine the budget shares for schools.  This decision was required to comply with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) process.

The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was a ring-fenced specific grant and had to be used in support of the Schools Budget as defined in the School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations, and in compliance with the Schools Revenue Funding 2025 to 2026 Operational guide.

There was a requirement, under these regulations, for the local authority to decide on the formula factors and rates for the Schools funding formula, to consult with schools on the proposals, and to issue School Budget Shares (SBS) to maintained schools by 28 February 2025.  There was also a requirement to advise all schools and private, voluntary and independent settings of their allocation of funding from the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) and place and top-up funding from the High Needs Block by 31 March 2025.

OPTIONS

No other options were considered as setting the rates was required by the Schools Revenue Funding 2025 to 2026 Operational Guide.  However, the SMF had been presented with various different options for distribution of the funds.

The Executive Member wished to place on record, her thanks to all of the officers involved in this work.

ORDERED that:

1.     The final formula factors and rates for the Middlesbrough schools funding formula for 2025/2026, as detailed in Appendix A of the report, following consultation with Middlesbrough SMF on 15 January 2025 was approved.

2.     The SMF’s recommendation to members for approval of the Schools Formula was noted.

3.     The SMF’s approval of the transfer of 0.5% (£0.751m) of the overall Schools Block to High Needs was noted.

4.     The availability of an additional £0.675m for distribution after the SMF meeting had been added to primary school allocations - to remain consistent with the SMF recommendation to maximise allocations to primary schools with the minimum required allocation provided to the secondary sector - was noted.

5.     The current value of the DSG budget for 2025/2026, as at 18 December 2024 and detailed in section 6 of the report, was noted.

The decision will come into force immediately as the Schools’ Budget Report was considered under the urgency provisions.