APPENDIX
SCHOOL LIBRARY SERVICES—REPORTED FUNDING
LEVELS
1. This summary is based upon information
derived from council Section 52 budget statement returns (paragraph
7), since 1999. These are annual returns required from councils
by the DfES and set out the deployment of school budgets and retained
funding.
2. When the new "fair funding"
requirements for education authorities were introduced in 1999
the DfES sought to protect school library services for primary
and special schools while prescribing delegation for secondary
library services and in other areas (for instance management and
property services). Some councils had however already delegated
funding for primary and special school library services. Nevertheless
regulations were set to allow others to retain funding centrally
(if desired) to devolve directly to schools as earmarked funding
for school library services. Elsewhere the DfES protected particular
areas of activity where delegation or budget cuts had threatened
viability (eg school music services) through the use of standards
funds.
3. As a result, since 1999 councils that
have not delegated funding for school library services for primary
schools should be recording the budget for school library services
in the annual Section 52 budget statements. This should show how
much is devolved to schools for them to spend specifically (earmarked)
in procuring library services from their own council or from another
local authority. Schools will of course be able to supplement
funding devolved to them by using their own delegated budget shares.
4. Where funding has been delegated to schools
for primary and special school library services there is currently
no way of identifying this expenditure. Funding cannot be held
centrally for provision of library services for secondary schools.
This funding is fully delegated and as a result target spending
on library services by secondary schools cannot be tracked.
5. Since 1999 both the number of councils
reporting earmarked funding as well as the level of earmarked
funding for primary and special school library services has fallen
from the beginning to the end of the period. This means either
funding has been delegated to schools or it has been cut.
6. In 1999-2000 103 councils reported they
were devolving earmarked funding for school library services.
Overall this amounted to around £15.2 million. The highest
earmarked allocation per pupil was £11.53. By 2004-05 the
highest earmarked level of funding is £12.89 per pupil, although
the number of councils who have earmarked funding has fallen by
a half.
7. The earmarked funding reported since
1999-2000 fell annually up to 2002-03 but has shown a small increase
in money terms in the past two years.
|
| 1999-2000 | £15,200k[8]
|
|
| 2000-01 | £11,560k
|
| 2001-02 | £8,631k
|
| 2002-03 | £5,692k
|
| 2003-04 | £6,383k
|
| 2004-05 | £6,417k
|
|
8. The number of councils who are reporting earmarking
of funding has fallen over the period.
|
| 1999-2000 | 103
|
|
| 2000-01 | 73
|
| 2001-02 | 57
|
| 2002-03 | 43
|
| 2003-04 | 51
|
| 2004-05 | 51[9]
|
|
9. Two thirds of councils reported earmarked funding
in 1999-2000 but this has reduced to one-third in 2004-05. Overall
the average earmarked budget provision for those councils that
are reporting earmarked funding has reduced in the last three
years.
10. The reported average earmarked budget provision per
councils reporting earmarked funding is shown below.
|
| 1999-2000 | £148k
|
|
| 2000-01 | £158k
|
| 2001-02 | £151k
|
| 2002-03 | £132k
|
| 2003-04 | £125k
|
| 2004-05 | £126k
|
|
10 December 2004
8
Reduced from the S52 return in 1999-2000 to exclude expenditure
on museums service. Back
9
Of the 51 councils, 35 have reported an earmarked/retained amount
every year since 1999-2000. Back
| 
