(5 MINUTES FOR FINAL AGENDA ITEMS)

a)    Homes for Ukraine (H4U)

Attendees were informed that at the Homes for Ukraine (H4U) DfE meeting on the 27^th June 2022, it was announced that the H4U education funding guidance would be published ‘imminently’ but confirmed that the government was providing additional funding to councils to provide education services for children from families arriving from Ukraine under the H4U scheme. The DfE would allocate funding on a per pupil basis for the three phases of education at the following annual rates:

o   Early years (ages 2 to 4) - £3,000

o   Primary (ages 5 -11) - £6,580

o   Secondary (ages 11-18) - £8,755

These tariffs would include support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The actual funding amounts received by the LA would be based on data received from DLUHC reference the number of children who had arrived in the LA by end of May 2022.  It would then be made quarterly based on updated DLUHC confirmed new figures.  It would be paid in full as a one-off payment for each child who entered via the H4U scheme.  At this time, there was no funding for children from Ukraine who arrived through any other scheme.

There would be no central guidance on how the money would be distributed and it was for LAs, with their Schools’ Forum, to determine what central costs would be required by LA, and how much was passported to education sector. 

It was proposed that Schools’ Forum set up a SF Working Group with representatives from each sector to work with the LA once the guidance was published.

Note:

LAs would be able to use the funding (for EY, primary and secondary) to support the provision of education and support for H4Ul children arriving from Afghanistan, with money passported to schools and academies who offered places to children.  Also, one of the conditions was that in cases where children were offered a school place in a local authority outside the one in which the child’s family was housed, the local authority that received the grant funding would send an appropriate amount to the counterpart authority providing the school place.

·      It was proposed that there should be a centralised system for teaching Ukrainian children English. 

·      It was confirmed that Uppingham College had Ukrainian speaking members of staff currently employed to support Ukrainian families but that it would be good to have something centralised to support all schools and the College would be happy to help.

·      A H4U Working Group would be a good idea with the first meeting held week beginning the 4^th July.  Interested partners should contact Gill Curtis (gcurtis@rutland.gov.uk )

RESOLVED

That the Schools’ Forum:

a)    AGREED to the creation of a H4U Working Group.

b)    Return to Face-to-Face Meetings

Mr S Williams requested a discussion about the potential return to face-to-face meetings of the Schools’ Forum. 

RESOLVED

The Schools’ Forum AGREED that:

a)    Meetings would be held in person where a decision was required.

b)    Meetings would be held virtually where reports were for information only.