Education finance officer news
Academies and the Dedicated Schools Grant 2009-10: Calculation of
recoupable amounts for Academies
The Department has written to authorities with Academies opening in
2009 with the new recoupment calculator and guidance. [Added 16 February
2009]
Revised Indicative allocations of Dedicated Schools Grant
2009-11
A letter has been issued to all authorities with revised indicative allocations of the Dedicated
Schools Grant (DSG) for 2009-10 and 2010-11. [Added 19 November 2008]
New Interim Guidance for the Free Entitlement Offer
DCSF has recently issued interim guidance on Early-Years issues for local
authorities in relation to the free entitlement offer for three and
four-year-olds. [Added 5 August 2008]
Final 2008-09 DSG Allocations and London Pay Addition Grants
Final DSG allocations for 2008-09
A letter to local authorities and a summary of the final DSG allocations for 2008-09 have been
published. [Added 19 June 2008]
Final allocation of London Pay Addition Grants for
2008-09
Final allocation of London Pay Addition Grants for
2008-09 have also been published [Added 19 June 2008]
Implementing the Single Early-Years Formula
For more information about the work to date on creating a single formula
undertaken with the Early-Years Formula Development Partners visit the
early-years funding reform website. There you will find more guidance and
updates on the work to date. [Added 13 June 2008]
14-19 Diplomas: Final grant allocations
Local authorities have been informed about the final allocation of the
Diploma specific grant for 2008/09 and asked to confirm, in September, the
actual numbers taking up Diploma places. Details can be found on the 14-19 website. [Added 23 May 2008]
School Census and Alternative Provision Final DSG Funding
Reports
The Department's Data Services Group has written to local authority School Census and Alternative
Provision Contacts advising them that final DSG funding reports are now
available to download. [Added 15 May 2008]
VfM: Finance updates
The latest finance update letter from the Value for Money Unit has
been published on the VfM
website. [Added 14 April 2008]
School Census and Alternative Provision DSG Funding Reports
The Department's Data Services Group has written to local authority School Census and Alternative
Provision Contacts advising them these funding reports are now available.
[Added 4 April 2008]
School revenue balances 2006-07
School revenue balances for the end of the 2006-07
financial year, together with national and local authority level summaries,
have been published alongside data for 1999-2000 to 2005-06 published in March
last year. [Added 1 Apr 2008]
Guidance on back pay for education staff
The DCSF and CLG have published joint guidance for local authorities setting out the broad
legal and financial framework within which decisions on equal pay and single
status back pay for education staff may be made. [Added 20 Mar 2008]
Practical Learning Options
A spreadsheet has been published giving an estimate for each
local authority of how much funding through the DSG in 2006-08 to support
practical and applied learning would be in 2008-09. [Added 18 March 2008]
Academies: Letter on permanent exclusions
The Department has written to academies and local authorities regarding the
financial implications of exclusions. The letter has been added to the previous Dedicated
Schools Grant guidance on academies. [Added 12 March 2008]
Academies: Recoupment calculator for DSG 2008-09
The Department has written to authorities with Academies opening in
2008 with the new recoupment calculator and guidance. [Added 19 February
2008]
School Finance Regulations 2008
The Department has published guidance on the School Finance Regulations 2008. [Added 14 February
2008]
London Pay Addition grants
The Department will be paying an additional grant
to all London authorities to help them meet the cost of the additions to
Teachers' Pay scales recommended by the School Teachers' Review Body.
[Added 4 February 2008]
Launch of DSG Formula Review
In a statement to Parliament Jim Knight, Minister for Schools and
14-19 Learners, has launched the review of the formula for distributing
Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). View the statement and other papers here. [Added 31 January 2008]
VfM: Finance updates
The latest finance update letter from the Value for Money Unit, which
includes updates on CFR and FMSiS, has been published on the VfM website. [Added 23 January 2008]
Schools Forum (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
The Department has written to Directors of Children's Services
with guidance on the Schools Forum (England) (Amendment)
Regulations 2008. [Added 17 January 2008]
Minimum Funding Guarantee: Cost Pressures
The Department has published a table, together with an explanatory
note, of cost pressures underlying the minimum funding
guarantee for 2008-11. [Added 16 January 2008].
Academies: Implications for DSG 2008-09 and Standards Fund
payments
In November the Department wrote to all authorities with Academies
opening in 2008 with the new guidance on recoupment.
In December the Department wrote to all Academy Principals setting out arrangements for standards fund and capital payments.
[Added 8 January 2008]
Diploma grant allocation for 2008-09
On 18 December, the Department issued to local authorities an initial
notification of the Diploma grant allocation for 2008-09. [Added 4 January
2008]
School Funding Settlement 2008-11
Jim Knight, Minister for Schools and 14-19 Learners, has announced to
Parliament the school revenue funding settlement for
2008-11. [Added 12 November 2007]
School Revenue Balances
Jim Knight announced to Parliament on 30 October the Government's
decision not to proceed with the proposed redistribution of 5% of schools'
surplus revenue balances for the time being. The Department has written to
Schools and to Directors of Children's Services to inform them
of the Government's decision. View the statement
and letters. [added 6 November 2007].
DSG 2008-09 — Changes to pupil data collections for January
2008 — early years, alternative provision and pupil referral units
The Department has written to Local Authorities concerning
changes to pupil data collection for early years,
alternative provision and pupil referral units for January 2008. This
is the data that will be used by the Department in deciding the level of
Dedicated Schools Grant for 2008-09 [added 3 October].
Consultation on School Finance (England) Regulations 2008 and the
Schools Forums (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007
The Department has published for consultation
draft School Finance Regulations 2008 and draft Schools Forums Amendment
Regulations 2007 [added 20 September 2007].
Explanatory note on schools and early-years
funding arrangements
The Department has published a technical explanatory
note for local authorities and Schools Forums on the school and early-years
elements of the funding arrangements which were announced by Schools Minister
Jim Knight on 25 June 2007 [added 13 September 2007].
14-19 reform and funding
The Department wrote to local authorities on 9 August 2007 regarding
the 14 to 19 funding arrangements.
Early-years funding reform
The Department has recently published two documents on early years
funding reform, as outlined below.
Guide to Analysing Costs in the PVI Sector
We have published a short guide for local authorities on the
first stage of the reform of the early years element of the Dedicated Schools
Grant. The guide explains that local authorities should
undertake an analysis of the cost of delivering the free entitlement in
private, voluntary and independent settings. They need to present this to their
Schools Forum before setting 2008 budgets. The guide is available
for download from the Every Child Matters web site.
Free Entitlement Survey Results
We carried out a survey on local funding arrangements for the free
entitlement and on schools forums membership. The results of this survey
provided an invaluable evidence base for the reforms announced in June. A
summary and the individual survey responses can be downloaded here.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families will also be publishing a more detailed explanatory note on all the funding decisions in September 2007. This will include guidance for local authorities on longer-term reform of early years funding, such as the development of a single local formula for funding all providers. [Added 31 August 2007]
DSG Formula Review for 2011-12 and beyond
The department has published the terms of
reference for the DSG formula review for 2011 and beyond and invited
comments by 2 November 2007. [Added 2 Aug 2007]
Deprivation funding review
The department has published guidance for local authorities on the
assessment of the quantity of deprivation funding distributed through their
local funding formula, with a template to complete and return to the Department
by 31 August 2007. [Added 2 August 2007]
School, early years and 14-19
funding arrangements 2008-11: Announcement of 25 June 2007
Jim Knight, has announced to Parliament the Government's
decisions on the broad framework for the school, early
years and 14-16 funding arrangements for 2008-11 following
consultation. [Added 25 June 2007]
VfM: Finance updates
The latest FMSiS guidance for primary schools, updates on CFR
and the benchmarking website have been published on the Value for Money website. [Added 20 June 2007]
Final DSG allocations for 2007-08
A letter to local authorities and a summary of
the final DSG allocations for 2007-08 have been published. [Added 7 June
2007]
Guidance on Governance of Sure Start Children's Centres and
Extended Schools
The Department published guidance on 21 May
2007 on the governance of Sure Start Children's Centres and Extended
Schools. [Added 31 May 2007]
School Census 2007:final data
The final 2007 School Census data has been published on the Keys to
Success website. An email from DfES School Census team to School Census
colleagues in local authorities about this is now available here (item 11). We expect to announce final
2007-08 DSG allocations in early June. [Added 21 May 2007]
Estimates of Early Years Spending
Local authorities have been sent a joint letter from Sheila Scales and Dugald
Sandeman asking for them to check our estimates of their spending on the free
entitlement to early learning and care for three and four year olds. Each local
authority was also emailed a technical note, outlining how the estimates were
derived, as well as the specific estimates for their authority. These figures
will be playing into important developments of policy and practice. All
responses and queries should be sent via email by
15 May 2007. [Added 4 May 2007]
Certification requirements for SSG,SSG (Personalisation) and SMG
2006-07
Local authorities have been informed by letter about certification requirements for School
Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Devolved School
Meals Grant for 2006-07. The certificate must be
completed and signed off by the Chief Finance Officer and submitted
to the Department by 30 June 2007. Any queries should be directed to
Sanjiv Jhalla on 0207 925 6092 by email. [Added 1 May 2007]
FMSiS Local Authority Guidance
All schools are required to meet the Financial Management Standard in
Schools (FMSiS) by March 2010. Ministers have now
agreed the timetable for rolling out the FMSiS to primary,
middle and special schools. The full FMSiS guidance has now been
published. [Added 1 May 2007]
Consultation Conferences Spring 2007
The presentations from recent regional
consultation conferences are now available. [Added 19 April 2007]
School Finance (Amendment) (England) Regulations
2007
These regulations came into force on 16 March. A note explaining the changes to the draft regulations is
now available. (Sent out to local authorities on 4 April
2007)
Guidance on carry forward of DSG from
2006-07
Note about carry forward of the DSG
2006-07 which we prepared in response to a number of enquiries from individual
authorities is now available. (Sent out to local authorities on 4
April 2007)
Funding the Free Entitlement to Early Education
The Department has written to local authorities asking them to
complete a questionnaire detailing how they allocate
and distribute free entitlement funding to maintained schools and to private,
voluntary and independent providers. [Added 29 March 2007]
Finalisation of DSG
Further advice on the finalisation of DSG
allocations has been sent to local authorities [Added 22 March 2007]
School Balances
The Department has published information on individual schools' end year balances for 1999-00 to 2005-06 in a summary form, and factual information on balances. [Added 15 Mar
2007]
Consultation on School, Early Years and 14-16
Funding 2008-11
On 7 March Dugald Sandeman, Director of School Resources Group, wrote
to local authorities announcing the launch of a
consultation on the school, early years and 14-16 funding arrangements for
2008-11. The closing date for the consultation is Friday 1
June. The full consultation document may be downloaded from www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/ [Added 13 March
2007]
Revised guidance on completion of From 8B
Email from DfES data colleagues to LA data colleagues about
revised guidance on the completion of Form 8B for SEN pupils with statements
in independent schools is now available here. If you have any queries about Form 8B please contact
the Data Services Group Helpdesk on 01325 392626 or email dsg.helpdesk@dfes.gsi.gov.uk [Added 22 February
2007]
Minimum Funding Guarantee Calculator 2007-08
An updated version of the MFG calculator for
2007-08 only is now available. The calculator allows local authorities to
directly enter their 2006-07 data into the 2007-08 calculator rather than
having to recalculate the 2006-07 MFG to pre-populate the 2007-08 calculator.
[Added 15 February 2007]
School Finance Regulations 2006
Draft amendment regulations have been issued
for consultation. Consultation closes on 31 January 2007. [Added 4
January 2007]
News items Autumn 2006
Earlier news items.
Last updated: 16 February 2009
