Council sets record straight over split site school funding in Bedford

The council has moved to set the record straight over split site school funding in Bedford.

Funding is applied fairly across all Bedford Borough schools, and the council would not favour one school over another for any reason, a senior councillor has said.

The Bedford Schools Forum heard on Monday (November 28) that schools with buildings on separate sites have “unavoidable” extra costs.

A report on the Schools Funding Formula for 2023/2024 said only two borough schools qualify for split site funding to help with these costs.

It added that criteria for this funding should be clear and transparent and incorporate clear and objective trigger points.

Stuart Lock, ceo of Advantage Schools, said: “There is a perception that split site funding is a historic thing that’s been convenient to schools that were friendly to the local authority.

“I didn’t know about that perception, but I do now because obviously Queen’s Park Academy, which is a split site school, has joined my organisation, and so I declare an interest.

“My understanding is it’s been an optional thing that the authority has put in place with some criteria that has led to some schools getting it and other schools not.

“But of course if a school is operating two sites it does have the extended costs.

“Some schools have missed out on a seemingly arbitrary basis,” he said.

“And the school I’m talking about, as the authority will know from previous correspondence, is on the basis of a private passageway between the two sites rather than anything else.

“So hence they have missed out on funding on what seems like a technicality rather than on a principle of what is fair in terms of funding split site schools.

“[This had] been very firmly raised with officials at the local authority over a year ago,” he said.

The council’s portfolio holder for finance, councillor Michael Headley (LibDems, Putnoe) said: “I absolutely refute any comment that implies there’s been any favouritism between one school and another.

“There are very clear criteria and they’re set out in this report, they’ve been set out in previous reports very clearly.

“And they’re applied fairly across all schools, we would not favour one school over another for any reason.

“We will apply clear criteria as laid out and I can’t allow that comment to stand without it being corrected,” he said.

Chief officer for education, SEND & schools infrastructure, Chris Morris, said: “Just to clarify, the trigger points for split site funding actually incorporates as-the-crow-flies, the figure is 650 metres.

“I know there’s a query around whether a private passageway is the reason for one school not getting it or not, actually that’s not the reason.

“The crow flies distance criteria that’s been applied, and that’s been consistent.

“I’d welcome a national criteria around split site funding as opposed to differences between different local authorities and postcode lotteries.

“But that’s why we’ve been quite consistent in our local authority,” he said.