1. Schools Forum Update
Julian Wooster DCS

2. Update for Schools Forum
CAF 01 – the LA decision
How we are addressing the High Needs deficit recovery plan
Progress to date
Future plans
Options for Schools Forum

3. CAF 01 Contribution to residential placements of children looked after with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) (The LA has the final decision, but it is good practice to inform Forum and ask for a view)
Reasons for taking the decision
To redress the low number of CLA jointly funded by the CSC and High Needs Block where the young person has an EHCP, including young people placed in a CSE specialist residential.
To bring Somerset into line with other local authorities’ use of High Needs Block of the DSG
The costs are based on actual placements and we expect these will reduce with the Inclusion Strategy
Most of the residential units have an holistic educational approach – reflecting the children’s difficult school experiences

4. Underpinning Model of Integrated Education, Health & Care Provision

5. CAF 01 Actuals to be based on Individual Children
SCENARIO
CSC : Education
Current Number
Current Comparable costs
Proposed Number
Proposed Costs
1. 50% : 50% 10
£644,848 20
£1,910,323
2. 90% : 10% £0 15
£233,451
3. 90% : 10% 8
£140,392
4. 90% : 10%
£200,000 19
£392,055
Totals
£844,848
£2,676,221

6. 5 Key spend areas in 18/19 within the High Needs Block
£1.0 m ?
£2.0 m ?
£2.0 m ?
DSG HN budget £49.7m

7. 1. Place funding & Independent fees Combined £21.145m
Cost drivers
Constraints
Number of planned places at £10k each for pre 16 special and £6k per place for resource bases
Number of planned places at £6k each at FE
Number of placements made in Independent schools
Pupil need type and level of need
Planned place rates are determined by EFSA
Placement over planned numbers must be funded in full (pro rata)
EFSA funding is lagged
Market driven- requires individual contract management
Opportunities £2m
Mitigation and savings measures
Capital investment in special schools places, free school bids or expansions for less expensive Local state funded- all ages
Focussed 50% reduction in day places
Joint funding for complex children and young people day or residential
Regional approach to framework commissioning, develop market and new providers
Mainstream inclusion as first choice- support inclusive practice and increasing use of teaching schools to help develop School to school support
Further develop place planning across all phases -reduce unused places/agree occupancy /all band 1 and 2 to mainstream
Review most expensive independent placements , INM project plan
Improve contract monitoring and oversight & link to casework
Improve on framework placements
Use of personal budgets and personalisation
Utilise all funding opportunities inc Free school bids
1. Place funding & Independent fees Combined £21.145m
245 Independent placements (181 day/ 64 residential)
660 Special schools places
197 PRU places for day 6 permanent exclusion and medical
58 Specialist resource bases
382 FE college places – element 2 place funding
10% current special school places ½
Total 26 of the 38 will potentially move within 3 years
22 could move subject to agreement by 2019
11 could move subject to agreement by 2020
8 could move subject to agreement by 2021

8. 2. Alternative provision – partnership £4.70m
Cost drivers
Constraints
Partnership places cost 3.5 times as much as AWPU plus notional
Increased year on year number of permanent exclusions (101+) increasing primary
Full time entitlement
Pupil need type and level of need
80% funding on KS3 & 4 pupils
Day 6 requirement for permanent exclusions
Slow pace of achievable change
Agreed strategic direction across age phases
Historical culture
Zero tolerance behaviour policies
Opportunities £2m
Mitigation and savings measures
Develop strategic approach to behaviour support with outreach at KS1, 2 and 3
Invest in early intervention resourced provision
Peer panel to gatekeep places
Year 11s to early college
Reduce partnership places
Reinvest for early intervention
Agree zero exclusion policy
Retain YP on roll at all times - AWPU funding remains in system
Exclusion “charge” for high excluders
School to school support & challenge
Develop shared aligned outreach
2. Alternative provision – partnership £4.70m
Pupil referral unit partnership places
School commissioned partnership places including year 11 (£4.1m)
Outreach support:
PRU outreach (£622,000)
80% of funding in ks3/4
161 places and 51 Year 11’s

9. 4. Services £5.9m Cost drivers Constraints Opportunities -£1.0m
Number of statutory assessment requests made (EP’s, VI/HI )
Accurate case recording and tracking
Parental expectations and confidence
Expertise in mainstream/local special schools
Retention and recruitment of specialist staff
Slow pace of achieving change
Historical commitments and expectations
Opportunities £1.0m
Mitigation and savings measures
Align services and achieve management efficiencies
Explore co located and integrated teams through co -production
Develop collaborative approaches to further upskill SENCO’s and teachers through workforce development
Mainstream inclusion as first choice- support inclusive practice
Flexible approaches –personal budgets
Plus 2% consultation (see Top up)
Review Learning support centres
Develop school to school support and use of teaching schools
Explored pooled budgets and shared service costs with CCG
Develop shared aligned outreach
School to school support & challenge
Inclusion resources; Learning centres (£200,000)
Learning support (£589,200)
ASC communications (588,800)
Ed Psych’s (£1,219,00)
HI and VI (£1.089,800)
PIMS (£528,100)
Portage (£318,400)
SEND integration (£226,100)
Area SENCOs (EY) (£560,200)
Special school outreach (£366,900)
Support for SENse (£100,000)
Hospital provision ( £237,900)
OT (£125,400)

10. Progress to date (appendix 1 of agenda item 5)
Implementation of a universal banding system from September (£0.3m previously seeing a 5-10% increase per annum)
The PRU review (£0.3m)
Investment in additional specialist places (cost avoidance of independent day placements (£0.2m)
Closure of off site ASD bases (£0.2m)
Reduction in funding for vulnerable pupils from High Needs (where schools receive funding via proxy indicators) £0.1m
Utilising one off opportunities form CSSB (£1.2m)
The full year affect of some of the above will apply to 2019/20.

11. DSG recovery plan 2018 – 2022
At the consultation briefings, the LA presented a slide showing that it would take 3 years to balance the DSG, including the financial imperative programme
The recovery plan was based on assumptions that included a transfer of 0.5% from the Schools Block in 2019/20 and 2020/21
If the transfer is not supported then the DSG recovery plan would take a minimum of another financial year to balance 2022/23
This is beyond the DfE expectations of the LA setting a recovery plan to balance the DSG within 3 years as per the recent consultation
DfE may be inclined to direct actions required to the LA and Schools Forum to achieve a balanced DSG in context of a large CSSB and discretionary spend in HNB if no commitment shown (Please hold that thought for agenda item 9 later in the meeting)
18 plans have not been received to date
In context of a 78% increase in assessment requests from 2013 to 2018

12. Options for Schools Forum
Transfer up to 0.5% from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block for 2019/20 
Ask SCC to apply to the Secretary of State for a block transfer above 0.5% in 2020/21 to address the deficit.
Agree not to increase the top-up funding by the planned 2% in April 2019
Reduce spend/cease services to release funding to address High Needs funding pressures
Or a combination of the above

13. Any Questions?