DSG Review Progress and Stocktake

1
DSG Review Progress and Stocktake

• Formula Review Group 9 June 2008

Stephen Kingdom Head of School Funding Unit, DCSF
2
DSG Review

• What progress are we making?
• Clarity on priorities/direction of travel
• Clearer DSCF statement of what are we trying to
  achieve?
• What does this mean for the work programme?

3
Aims for the Review

• Develop single formula to distribute DSG from
  2011-12 which will
• Raise educational achievement and narrow
  attainment gaps
• All children
• Deprived pupils
• Recognise the costs of different groups and areas
• Be based on transparency, simplicity and stability

4
Outcome of the Review?

• A school and early years funding system post 2011
  that
• Has clearer incentives for collaboration both
  between schools and between schools and other
  parts of childrens services
• Is more reflective of deprivation at all levels
  in the funding chain but takes a wide view of
  deprivation to encompass (as far as is possible)
  the full range of underachieving groups
• Incentivises schools to recruit and retain the
  most challenging pupils
• Delivers with the wider childrens plan agenda.

5
What does this mean for the FRG work programme?

• Has clearer incentives for collaboration
• Work to understand incentives/barriers
• Influence on national to LA distribution or LA to
  school (or both)
• Boundary between DSG and other expenditure

6
What does this mean for the FRG work programme?

• Is more reflective of deprivation at all levels
  in the funding chain
• What do we mean by deprivation? All
  underachieving groups?
• How do we measure deprivation other measures of
  AEN
• Weighting given to deprivation
• Influence on national to LA distribution and LA
  to school

7
What does this mean for the FRG work programme?

• Puts incentives on schools to recruit and retain
  the most challenging pupils
• Very much LA to school distribution
• Pupil premiums?
• How identify challenging pupils?

8
What does this mean for the FRG work programme?

• Is coherent with the wider childrens plan
  agenda.
• Incentives on schools
• Boundary between DSG and other expenditure
• Role of schools forums/relationship to Childrens
  Trusts

9
What are the core components of a DCSF to LA
formula?
Basic Entitlement x pupil numbers
Basic
83
Area Cost Adjustments Housing costs and/or Wage
Costs
4
Geographical factors
1
Sparsity (Rurality)
AEN
Specific pupil factors
12
Other EAL
SEN
Social deprivation
Percentage of spend in 2007-08
10
What other elements for the work programme does
that require?

• Basic entitlement activity led funding.
• Geographical ACA sparsity
• AEN part covered by deprivation work but other
  AEN EAL SEN
• Other elements mobility rapidly changing pupil
  numbers

11
Other areas

• What other issues do we need to cover?
• Future of the minimum funding guarantee
• 14-19
• Early Years
• Academies
• Transitional arrangements

12
Questions for FRG

• Comments on
• The approach
• Vision for post 2011 system
• Workplan elements
• on the right lines
• anything missing?