[eal-bilingual] Consultation

I thought that colleagues would be interested in responding to this  
consultation, specifically those sections that relate to new arrivals:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/ 
schoolfundingconsultation2007/

Exceptional Circumstances Grant

In autumn 2007, we will set DSG guaranteed units of funding for the  
three years 2008-09 to 2010-11: these will not subsequently be  
changed.  Authorities which experience significant influxes of pupils  
after the pupil count date for DSG will receive funding for them in  
the following financial year, and at the rate of their DSG guaranteed  
unit of funding.  If we move the count date for DSG to autumn, any  
pupils that arrive between the autumn count date and January would  
then be funded in the following financial year.
The three year allocation methodology for DSG responds rapidly to  
pupil number changes – the data lag is the lowest consistent with  
setting predictable budgets.  But because the DSG guaranteed unit of  
funding does not change for three years, if an authority has a  
significant influx of pupils with additional needs during the coming  
three year budget period (so that their proportion is higher than  
previously), those extra needs would not be reflected in the  
authority’s DSG allocation.  It is also possible that there will be  
other significant pressures that could not have been foreseen at the  
start of the three year period.
In the light of this, we propose that alongside DSG, we should create  
a small grant, which would be paid in exceptional circumstances to an  
authority which experiences an influx of pupils of a particular type  
(for example children with English as an additional language), that  
were not taken into account at the start of the three year period,  
and where the increase in pupil numbers was above a given level.
Q11:    Would a grant for exceptional circumstances be a helpful  
addition to the flexibility of the system?

The consultation closes on Friday June 1st

Martyn