Issue - meetings

To consider a report from the Schools Funding Working Group, by Liz Williams, Head of Finance (DCE).

Liz Williams updated members of the Forum on the outcomes of the meeting held on 07 January 2011.

Delegation of Health and Safety maintenance budgets

Proposals for the budget for health and safety maintenance to be delegated on the basis of a flat rate and per pupil sum had been developed. The Schools Forum emphasised the need for comprehensive guidance for schools to be provided to enable this delegation to take place most cost-effectively and safely.

Section 251 Benchmarking

The SFWG considered the Section 251 Benchmarking report and identified two areas where Wiltshire benchmarks as a high spender relative to statistical neighbours – Speech & Language therapy and School Improvement. The statistical neighbours would be canvassed to establish the reasons for this and an update will be produced to inform SFWG/School’s Forum.

Updated Schools Finance Guidance

It was explained that new guidance had been issued from the DfE on local authority funding schemes, effective from 01 April 2011. In most cases there was no conflict with existing arrangements in Wiltshire and any necessary amendments locally will be made in accordance with the guidance.

The SFWG advised that no decision be made regarding the continuance of the Wiltshire controls on surplus balances scheme until a later date. The School Forum agreed with this and decided that it was appropriate that a paper be brought back to the March Schools Forum meeting, in order for a decision to be made on the issue. Any decision could then be communicated to schools in the local authority area, giving them fair notice to adjust their budget calculations accordingly. Phil Cooch would seek to circulate details of Surplus balances in advance of the March Schools Forum meeting.

Schools Funding Settlement

Much work had been undertaken by the group at meeting on the 07 January and a subsequent meeting on the 14 January resulting in a number of recommendations regarding future allocation of former standards funds monies which have been rolled into the DSG 2011/12. In light of the figures, the group recommended that the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant continue to be retained centrally, as previously discussed at school forum, and that the pupil premium for pupils in maintained special schools and the YPSS be paid directly to the schools/YPSS.

Resolved:

a)    That budgets for health and safety maintenance contacts be delegated to School as follows

(Paragraph 4 in the report)

b)   That the Health and Safety Manager should issue guidance to schools on available countywide contracts and providers of specialist maintenance equipment such as gym and kiln equipment.

c)    That further information on the detail behind the benchmarking figures on Speech & Language therapies and on Schools improvement be sought from statistical neighbours and reported back to the Schools Funding Working Group (Paragraph 5)

d)   That a decision on whether to retain the Wiltshire Controls on Surplus balances scheme be delayed until further detail is known about the national picture and the government’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109

To consider a report from the Schools Funding Working Group, by Liz Williams, Head of Finance (DCE).

Members of Schools forum were updated on the discussion and recommendations from the School Funding Working Group held on 16 December 2010

Discussions ensued around each of the topics considered by the working group, as follows:

·         Broadband Connectivity

·         Schools Facilities Maintenance Contract

·         Schools Finance Regulations 2011 Consultation

·         SIMS Licence – 3 Year Fixed Term Arrangement

·         Results of Consultation to change the School Funding Scheme

·         Schools Budget Planning Software

Resolved:

a)    That Option 2, outlined in Appendix 2 to this report, be the agreed method for charging schools for the cost of broadband connectivity from 2011/12, and that the charges should be treated as a cashless item on the school funding certificate.

b)    See N.B below

c)    That the recommendations of the Schools Funding Working Group on the response to the consultation to the draft Schools Finance Regulations be approved.

d)    That, subject to procurement rules, Wiltshire should enter in to the 3 year agreement for the SIMS Licence to maximise value for money.

e)    That the Schools Funding Scheme be amended to reflect the changes to debt write off levels and leasing arrangements, as outlined in paragraph 8 of the report.

f)     That from April 2011 a 3 year contract should be agreed for the FPSAdvance.net software at an annual cost of £61,150, for the basic version of the software, i.e. without the inclusion of the School Development Plan functionality.

Note

Recommendation b) was considered elsewhere in the agenda, under Item No.5 – Schools Facilities Management Contract