Agenda Item 4
|
Report to: |
East Sussex Schools’ Forum
|
|
Date of meeting: |
12 September 2025
|
|
Report By:
Title: |
Director of Children’s Services
De-delegating budgets for Primary and Secondary maintained schools |
|
|
|
|
Purpose: |
To advise members of Schools’ Forum which budgets were de-delegated by schools in 2025/26 and seek approval on de-delegated budgets for 2026/27. |
Recommendations:
1. The Primary and Secondary maintained Schools’ Forum Representatives are asked to decide which services should be provided centrally by the Authority for 2026/27.
1. Background
1.1 Since 2013/14 the Department for Education (DfE) has required that Schools’ Forum agree to de-delegate budgets for certain services provided centrally by the Local Authority (LA). The DfE have confirmed that this arrangement will continue for financial year 2025/26.
1.2 The funding is automatically delegated to Academies who can choose to access some of the services by purchasing from East Sussex Services to Schools or source services from other providers.
1.3 The services to be considered for de-delegation in 2026/27 are shown below and Schools’ Forum can agree to de-delegate a service in 2026/27 where it chose not to in 2025/26.
· Contingency
· Behaviour Support Services (please see appendix B)
· Support for ethnic minority pupils (please see appendix B)
· Administration of free school meals
· Jury service and union business
· Headteacher Partnership (please see appendix C)
1.4 For 2025/26, the following decisions were agreed at Schools’ Forum on de-delegated services.
|
|
PRIMARY |
SECONDARY |
|
|
De-delegated in 2025/26 |
De-delegated in 2025/26 |
|
Contingency |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Behaviour Support Services |
Yes |
No |
|
Support for ethnic minority pupils* |
Yes |
No |
|
Administration of Free school meals |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Jury service and union business |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Head Teacher Partnership |
Yes |
Yes |
*subject to a 2 year commitment for 2024/25
1.5 Only members of the Schools’ Forum representing maintained primary and secondary schools are entitled to vote on the 2026/27 proposals. In accordance with regulations, representatives of each phase will vote separately, however it is possible that a decision not to de-delegate in one phase may affect the viability of provision overall and the withdrawal of the service for all phases.
2. The Services
2.1 Descriptions of the services which can be provided centrally to maintained schools are set out below in Appendix A B and C.
2.2 The De-delegated funding for 2025/26 to maintained schools for these services is summarised in Appendix D.
2.3 The calculation of amounts to be de-delegated from each school must be linked to factors within the funding formula. The calculations, applied in 2025/26, will continue for 2026/27 using the following basis:
|
De-delegated Heading |
Formula Factor |
|
|
Contingency |
Per Pupil Amount |
|
|
Behaviour Support Services |
20% Per Pupil Amount 22% Free School Meal Ever6
22% IDACI |
|
|
Support for Ethnic Minority Pupils |
50% Per Pupil 50% Per EAL Pupil |
|
|
Administration of Free School Meals |
Free School Meal Numbers |
|
|
Jury service and union business |
Per Pupil Amount |
|
|
Head Teacher Partnership |
Lump Sum Amount |
3 Recommendations
3.1 The Maintained Primary and Secondary representatives on the Schools’ Forum are requested to agree the services to be de-delegated in 2026/27, as per paragraph 1.3.
Carolyn Fair
Director Children’s Services
Contact Officer: Ed Beale
Tel. No. 01273 482547
Email: Edward.beale@eastsussex.gov.uk