Trust Funding Distribution Statement
The Learning for Life Trust is committed to ensuring that funding is distributed fairly, transparently and in a way that maximises educational outcomes for pupils across all our schools.
Our Funding Model
As a Trust, our approach is that individual schools retain the vast majority of the funding they attract. School leaders and governors are therefore able to make decisions that are responsive to the needs of their pupils, staff and communities. As a Trust we ensure all schools receive the GAG (General Annual Grant) and other school specific grants into their budgets in full. We do not GAG pool at MAT level, we believe this is a key basis for school empowerment and accountability.
To enable the Trust to provide central leadership, support and statutory functions, charge is made to schools for their contribution towards central services. This charge is proportional to their pupil numbers. This contribution supports services that benefit all schools and helps achieve efficiencies through shared expertise and economies of scale.
Central Services
The Trust contribution funds a range of services including:
- Trust Strategic leadership, Governance and Management
- School improvement and educational support
- Full finance and payroll services including financial planning and forecasting
- Human resources support
- Strategic estates support including delivery of large capital schemes
- Legal services support
- Strategic risk register support
- Information technology and cyber security support
- General Data Protection Regulations and compliance support and Information Rights support
- Procurement and contract management support
- Safeguarding oversight and coordination
- Trust-wide professional networks for SEND, Safeguarding and Headteachers.
- Internal and extremal audit as required by the Academy Trust Handbook
- Governance (Trustee and Local Governor) recruitment, training and development
- Local Governing Board support
- School and MAT websites including statutorily required information
- These services are provided to all schools as part of their membership of the Trust.
Additional Traded and Shared Services
In addition to core Trust services, schools may choose to access a range of optional shared services where these provide improved value for money or operational benefits.
Examples may include:
- Cleaning services
- Catering arrangements
- Grounds maintenance
- Educational support services
- Trust-wide procurement arrangements
- Other centrally negotiated contracts
Participation in these services is entirely optional. Schools are not required to purchase additional services through the Trust and retain the flexibility to make local decisions where this represents the best value for their pupils and communities. Where coordinated purchasing takes place schools share equal benefits of this approach.
How Resources Are Allocated
When making decisions about the use of Trust & School resources, the Board of Trustees and Local Governing Boards consider:
- The educational needs of pupils.
- The financial sustainability of individual schools and the Trust.
- Statutory and compliance requirements.
- School improvement priorities.
- The need to secure value for money through collaboration and shared working.
- The need to plan for levels of school reserves in line with the MAT’s reserves policy.
As a MAT we retain reserves at both school and MAT level – this underpins the approach to empowerment and accountability for LGBs and the MAT overall as a core value of our approach.
Devolved Capital Formula funding for schools is directly allocated to each school without pooling. As the MAT grows and becomes a recipient of Strategic Condition Allocation the MAT will develop a policy that is estate needs led to ensure a fair and consistent approach over time for this to be allocated.
The Trust is committed to openness and transparency in its financial arrangements. Full details of the Trust's finances can be found in the annual audited accounts published on this website.
Our annual reports detail the financial performance of the Trust alongside other details including our auditing arrangements, governance and academic performance. Please see the reports below: