Management Information Sheet

Redetermination of school budgets where pupils have been excluded

National Changes

Following a consultation survey with schools in June 2017, there will be a change to the funding deducted and reimbursed to a school’s budget for pupils excluded from the 1 September 2017.

Since the consultation held in June 2017, further operational guidance has been issued by the Department for Education regarding the adjustment of budgets following exclusion of a pupil.

The guidance confirms that all pupil led funding factors should be deducted from a school’s budget and reimbursed to the school that admits the excluded pupil.

The pupil led funding characteristics of Basic Per-Pupil Entitlement, Low Prior Attainment, Deprivation (Free School meals and IDACI) and English as an Additional Language will all be used to adjust a schools budget for an excluded pupil from 1 September 2017.

Please see on the attached table the levels of funding currently applied to each pupil led factor in Norfolk (Appendix 1). These funding levels may change from the 1 April 2018, as the new National Funding Formula starts to be phased in.

The operational guidance states very clearly that this applies to all schools including Academies and Free Schools, and is provided for in the funding agreement.

Local Scheme

Following the consultation survey and discussions with key stakeholder groups, Norfolk will be introducing a local scheme to encourage inclusion within mainstream schools. This means that funding will follow the pupil. Under the current system if a school excludes a pupil after the October census they still receive the funding for the pupil the following financial year.

Under the new local scheme if a pupil is present on the October census and is subsequently excluded before the end of the financial year, the school’s budget will be adjusted the following financial year. This means that the Local Authority is able to fully reimburse the admitting school for all of the pupil led funding.

This will be a local agreement, and is not enforceable under the regulations. All schools that are involved and are engaged with the managed move countywide pilot will also have access to the Inclusion Incentive Fund as this is developed throughout the first half of the autumn term.

Managed Moves

Pupils under the managed move scheme will only become part of the above scheme once the pupil has moved to the roll of the school and the pupil has been funded on the October census.

Appeals

There will be an appeal process for exceptional cases. The appeals process will be put together by a schools working group, and details will be available once agreed.