ADCS response: Removal of the LAMB Grant

Commenting on the removal of the Local Authority School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering (LAMB) Grant Charlotte Ramsden, ADCS President, said:

“Local authorities have a crucial role to play in supporting all schools across place, regardless of governance arrangements. Throughout the pandemic local authorities have worked together with schools to make sure children and young people are in school, learning and fed, highlighting unequivocally the critical role of the local authority in education. This announcement, however, appears contrary to these strong relationships when we should be building on them.

“The Local Authority School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering (LAMB) Grant provides vital resources for local authorities to support schools of all types in their local areas, often in close partnership with MAT leaders. Many local authorities use the Grant to fund school improvement teams and to provide earlier support for schools to avoid the need for formal intervention. Clearly, this is in the best interests of all learners; the suggestion that low levels of formal interventions indicate that this funding is no longer required is misguided. The Grant provides vital resources for critical school improvement activity and is especially important for smaller schools in rural areas. ADCS is concerned that its removal will limit the ability of local authorities to fulfil some of their statutory responsibilities around education and schools.

“Reducing the LAMB Grant to 50% on a per school basis from 2022/23 and removing it from 2023/24, will negatively impact many schools and millions of children. The shift towards de-delegation to fund these activities only puts more pressure on school budgets. The forthcoming Education White Paper provides an opportunity to rebalance the role of local authorities in education alongside academy trusts to create a better school system for all learners. However, with this decision taken in advance of the White Paper despite significant concern expressed in consultation returns, it is not clear how this new funding arrangement will better align academy and maintained schools, given that they are financed differently with many inconsistencies in levels of funding available to different types of schools. This announcement instead appears inconsistent with plans to create an ‘eco-system of schools’ to drive school improvement and improve outcomes for all children.

“As the government plans the education system for the future there must be a strong and defined role for the local authority at its heart.”

ENDS

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