See answers to previous information requests

I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the dates of payments made to Local Authority (LA) Schools for their core school budget share each month. This is to assist with our research around maintained schools use of funding and reserves and variations that may apply from one LA to another. The information provided will be anonymised. We would be happy to share the findings of the research once the data has been compiled if this would be of interest to you.

1.
a) For maintained schools that manage/have their own bank accounts, do you release funding directly into the schools’ bank accounts?
• If so, please provide details around what date in the month is this released?
• Do you provide schools with a payment schedule for these transfers in advance annually?
b) Are all maintained schools within your local authority paid on the same date? If not, please explain the reasons for any differences in payment arrangements.
c) Are any maintained schools eligible to receive funding earlier than the standard payment date? If so, please provide details of the eligibility criteria and/or the circumstances under which earlier payments may be made.

2. In addition, if the relevant documents are readily available, please would you kindly provide electronic copies of any policies, procedures, or guidance notes relating to your local arrangements for the release of funding to maintained schools.