National Children

1

• National Childrens Commissioning and
  Contracting Conference.
• Innovation through Austerity?
• Implementation of the new National
  Funding Formula.
• Lessons learnt.
• Annette Jones and Jackie Ong, SEN team
• Bristol City Council

2
Why a National funding formula?

• To move towards a fairer funding system by
  redistributing existing funding
• To allow parents to express a preference of
  school irrespective of funding costs, or
  designation
• To align the pre and post 16 systems in
  preparation for wider DfE changes under the
  Children and Families Bill. eg.EHCPs,0-25
  system, personalised budgets
• To improve outcomes for yp
• To show vfm on use of the public purse
• This is the most highly audited budget of ALL
  councils spend

3
What is the National funding formula ?

• The DfE introduced a requirement for all LAs to
  implement a New National funding formula (NFF)
  from April 2013.
• A pupil led funding system by changing the way
  ALL schools and Education providers are funded
  through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) via
  agreements with the Schools forum for the use of
  the High Needs Block.
• We move towards a National system by 2015.

4
Who does it apply to ?

• All state funded Mainstream schools, Academies
  and Free schools
• All maintained specialist provision including
  resource bases
• All alternative education providers and PRUs
• All non maintained special schools (NMSS)
• All colleges of FE
• All specialist FE colleges (ISPs)
• By 2015 all INM schools
• ALL JOINT/ POOLED BUDGET PLACEMENTS

5
So what does this mean for commissioners ?

• A pupil led funding system that follows the
  young person
• All commissioning arrangements related contracts
  will change to become child centred
• Will align 0-25, with all transitions being
  pivotal
• Will be outcomes based
• Will generate new markets through strategetically
  commissioned services with CCGs and others
• Will be flexible, responsive and Vfm

6
So whats .this have to do with placements?

• All LAs are required to have a Schools Forum
  under the Schools Finance and Early Years
  Regulations
• The Schools Forum has representatives of each
  sector, and the LA must consult them.
• The schools forum have discretion over all
  systems and allocations for all placements-
  including joint funded or pooled arrangements.

7
Activity

• Do you know how the funding scheme works?
• How do you breakdown costs?
• How do you compare your first 10K to other
  providers?
• How are you going to comply with LAs top up
  costs?
• How do you measure against outcomes currently
  Progress and outcomes ?
• How do you show measurable progress?
• Could it be better?

8
How does it work ?

• Its a place Plus scheme.
• Each setting has a place amount per pupil,
  either notional or set.
• Pupils needs then direct the additional funding
• Bristol introduced such a delegated scheme in
  2009, and so have had 3 years of learning from
  this which we have brought to the new National
  scheme

9
Bristol City Council -Our Context

• Bristol is an urban LA in a predominantly rural
  region
• Nearly 2000 statements with additionally 1200
  plus funded
• Annual pre NFF budget of 25 M
• Rapidly increasing population ICOCo suggests 7.8
  to 2017
• Academies, free schools, maintained mainstream
  and special, independents, UTC.
• Increasing demand for local specialist placements

10
Why delegate funding ?

• Principles
• Fast, responsive early intervention to meet
  individual needs
• More control and autonomy for Schools to support
  workforce development to meet their cohorts
• Reduction in bureaucracy for Schools and Parents
• Most needs could be met from within existing
  school funding

11
What did we learn from our delegated scheme- SAPE

• 63 immediate reduction in requests for
  statutory assessments ( 5k nearly 1M saved
  from DSG and central services )
• Schools and parents sought clarity in what was
  ordinarily provided ( aka early local offer)
• Parental confidence was key to a quality assured
  system
• Schools ,providers and parents confused the
  statutory legislation with funding, needs,
  objectives, provisions, outcomes
• Goods schools managed
• Top ups panels caused more workload for the LA
  and budget is volatile
• It took 3 years to learn

12
Lessons learnt for NFF implementation.

• Top-ups via costed provision maps
• BUDs ( Bristol Universal Descriptors) across all
  settings 0-25 by 2014
• Integrated decision making with schools
  transparent
• Specialist QA on school based interventions
  high parental confidence
• Provided clarity on place element provision
  early local offer
• Ongoing interim support from LA financial teams

13
Universal Banding for High Needs
Pre 16
Post 16
MAINSTREAM
SPECIALIST
ALL SETTINGS
Element 1 Element 2 Core funding
AWPU Notional SEN DfE -10,000 p.a.
Base Funding of 10,000 allocated on planned
places for Special schools, NMSS, RBs DfE AEP,
PRU, 8,000
Programme Costs Notional SEN DfE 10,000
p.a.
Element 3 High Needs Block
BANDs 1 6 2,500 - 35,000
7 gt50,000 In addition School based
supplements allocated per pupil PFI
Hydropool Residential Hostel Split Site
Extended Day
14
Plus

• Where children have needs that require provision
  to be made above the place cost additional funds
  to support this are required , this is the
  Plus
• Is called Top Up
• Is pupil led, and follows the child
• Is allocated on a daily basis
• Is banded into 7 universal bands ,based on the
  Bristol Universal Descriptors (BuDS)
• Can be applied for twice a year
• Can be allocated for up to 3 years

15
Bristol Universal Descriptors (BuDs)

• Based on 7 universal banding levels, with a
  single cost per level across all
  settingsUniversal.
• Describe the provision needed to meet pupils
  needs on a best fit basis . pupil typically
  has .
• Have been taken from old LMSS bandings, SAPE and
  Top Up descriptors, existing statements
• Are relevant for 2013-15
• ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS
• WILL TAKE 5 YEARS TO EMBED ( 2018)

16
Children in Care

• All Children in Care are funded by their home
  LA, and recoupment applies- the Belongings
  regulations continue to apply
• For 2013 a LAC factor was optional in the
  schools block element ( 1/2) , in 2014-15 this
  will be mandatory
• CIC are eligible for pupil premium based on
  original home address under the Ever 6,and post
  16 bursary fund to meet further educational
  needs AS WELL as access to all other School
  funding streams .

17
What about the futureall change

• Legislation via the Children and Families Bill
• By September 2014 a New Code of Practice for SEND
• Optional personalised budgets
• Duty on Health and CCGs
• Effective person centred flexible joint
  commissioning
• Increased parental and young person choice
• The Local Offer -increased integration of all
  systems, services and providers.