34 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) PDF 405 KB
To receive a presentation in
respect of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).
Minutes:
The
Service Manager for Finance provided an overview of the Dedicated Schools Grant
(DSG) which included what it was, how it was controlled, the role of the
council and the current position for the council. As part of the presentation, the Service
Manager for Finance noted that the slide titled ‘DSG – what do we do?’ should
include a note to say that the council was able to put a school in special
measures.
Councillors
discussed the issues arising from the presentation and comments were made as
follows:
·
Reference was made to the way that the DSG was distributed to the
council in four blocks, with the funding then being passed onto schools. It was noted that the Government was setting
the schools budget below the schools minimum standards
·
In response to a question it was noted that the Government had announced
increases to the blocks which represented of the order of £200 per child per
primary school, based on a particular formula, including deprivation
factors. Some background to the High
Needs Block deficit was provided and reference was made to a current Department
for Education consultation around a proposal for deficits to sit within the
school rather than with the council. The
outcome of this consultation was awaited
·
Councillors discussed the budget issues in this area and the Portfolio
Holder for Children, Education and Early Help provided background to previous
financial forecasting that had been undertaken and noted that the forecasting
mechanism needed to be looked at again.
There was recognition that every child had a right to mainstream
education although some would require special education provision in an
appropriate setting
·
It was noted that this was a demand driven process
·
The challenge in setting the budget in this area was that notification
of DSG was usually received late in the process
·
It was noted that coverage in the Press was suggesting that the
additional funding to be provided by Government, could take the budget back to
the position in 2015
·
In response to a question, it was reported that the pay increase for new
teachers was just a proposal at present
·
A discussion was held in respect of the way that deprivation factors
were measured and it was noted that a number of factors were taken into
consideration and could vary by council.
The experience was that there was undeclared deprivation which could
impact on the funding provided to the council in this area. The Portfolio Holder encouraged councillors
to communicate and seek understanding from local MPs of the needs of Dorset in
terms of funding. The situation in
Dorset was considered against the situation in other areas such as London and
although the issue was recognised by the Department for Education, there was
currently no solution
·
In response to a question, it was reported that there was no provision
to allow the council to charge the deficit back to the Department for Education
· The council funded the top up of schools’ budgets in respect of education, health ... view the full minutes text for item 34