Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the final funding proposals for Medway’s schools and academies for 2024/25. Officers, working with the Schools Forum, had consulted with schools and academies on the proposed new funding formula options.

The Schools Forum had met on 19 January 2024 and recommended Cabinet to approve the implementation of the final funding formula, as set out at section 5 of the report.

It was noted that in line with rule 15.11 of Chapter 4, Part 5 of the Constitution, call-in could be waived where any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the Council’s or the public’s interests. In this case, the deadline for the submission of the final funding formula to the Department for Education (DfE) was 22 January 2024. It was therefore proposed that call-in be waived to prevent any further delay in confirming the Cabinet’s decision to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and to allow the authority to implement the funding formula changes in accordance with the regulations. The Chairperson of the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed that the decisions proposed were reasonable in all the circumstances and to them being treated as a matter of urgency and to waive call-In.

Reasons:

The local authority is required to implement the funding formula changes from 2024-25 in accordance with the regulations and to inform the Education Skills Funding Agency.