Issue - meetings

In January 2022, Schools Forum agreed that the surplus schools block funding should be transferred to the high needs and early years budgets. The surplus was estimated at £180,000 though the final outturn figure was £360k.

BCP Council plans to set up a Dingley’s Promise centre within the nursery space at the Kinson and West Howe Family Hub.

Dingley’s Promise is an established, experienced organisation with a strong, positive track record for supporting early years children with SEND with Ofsted registered centres operating in Berkshire, Hampshire, Reading, Woking, and Gloucester.

The Child Development and School Readiness lead presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Forum was informed that in January 2023, the Forum had agreed that the surplus schools block funding should be transferred to support the early years high needs budgets. The surplus was estimated at £180,000 though the final outturn figure was £360,000. The Forum was advised that there were plans to set up a Dingley’s Promise centre within the nursery space at the Kinson and West Howe Family Hub.  It was explained that Dingley’s Promise was an established, experienced organisation with a strong, positive track record for supporting early years children with SEND.

In response to a question it was explained that Dingley’s Promise would work with families and nursery settings to help ensure children were settled and would then move into mainstream provision. It was noted that the £180k was being invested so that the project could run for a year. It was an early intervention and prevention model from which savings should arise later on. Funding for an additional year of the project would need to be looked into once results from the project begin to some in. Savings should come from having more children in mainstream rather than specialist provision.

A member commented that the early years sub-group had not been consulted on this previously but welcomed intervention in this area as there appeared to be more and more children with SEN.

It was suggested that further information should be shared with infant and primary schools about the process, possible through the headteacher briefing.

It was suggested that the £180k above the original estimate could be utilised for the second year of the project, however it was confirmed that this was used to invest in early years settings across the board. 

RESOLVED that

Schools Forum note the recent activity undertaken using high needs block funding.