Agenda item

To receive minutes, reports and/or verbal updates from the following working groups:

·       School Funding Working Group

·       High Needs Formula Review Group

·       Early Years Reference Group

·       Schools Services Working Group (verbal update)

Schools Forum Working Group

Liz Williams introduced the report and minutes from the Schools Forum Working Group (SFWG). She highlighted the recommendations in the report which included inviting Steve Clark to the meeting being held to finalise the funding values within the mainstream funding formula, the deadline for submission to EFA being prior to the next meeting of the Schools Forum.

Resolved:

The Forum noted the report and recommendations outlined within.

High Needs Formula Review Group

Liz Williams introduced the report and explained that the group was in place to develop proposals for the implementation of school funding reform for high needs provision. The recommendations would normally have been considered by the SEN Working Group, however on this occasion the SEN Group meeting had not taken place and therefore the recommendations were being reported direct to Schools Forum.

She explained that the group’s starting point had been to try and develop a top up rate for each band. On the issue of specialism funding previously allocated to schools the group recommended that funding for 3 specialisms be incorporated in to the overall budget for top up values; that for 2013-14 Springfields Academy continues to be allocated funding for the activity associated with the second specialism and that from 2014-15 funding for all specialisms be included within the funding for top up values.

The group had also considered turbulence / in year pupil movement and recommended this should be mitigated through agreed payment dates for pupils who start or leave during the year. Pupils who leave because they reach the end of their school career, i.e., end of year 11 or year 6 (in a resource base) would be funded until the end of the academic year. In year leavers were identified as having different impact depending on the types of provision, with prior modelling showing significant movement in BESD schools and the impact of a few moving being severe. The possibility of funding a pupil in two establishments for a brief period was highlighted however it was felt the benefit of stability outweighed this risk.

It was recommended that a turbulence factor be incorporated in to the calculation of the top up value for special schools but not for top up values in resource bases or ELP.

Banding moderation has taken place for each type of provision and there are differences in place numbers for next year, with special school numbers increasing and some resource centre numbers decreasing. It was agreed that the financial detail would be brought to the Forum’s January meeting. The Forum noted that there is no Minimum Funding Guarantee applied to the overall level of budgets for high needs provision although there is an MFG applied to individual top up values.

Resolved:

The Forum

a)    Agreed that for special schools the funding for 3 specialisms be incorporated in to the overall budget for top up values and that for 2013-14 Springfields Academy continues to be allocated funding for the activity associated with the second specialism. From 2014-15 funding for all specialisms be included within the funding for top up values.

b)    Endorsed the principle that a turbulence factor is incorporated in to the calculation of the top up value for special schools but not for top up values in resource bases or ELP.

c)    Agreed the following payment schedule for in year starters and leavers be adopted for special schools, resource bases and ELP:

i)                Pupils who leave because they reach the end of their school career, i.e., end of year 11 or year 6 (in a resource base) will be funded until the end of the academic year

ii)               In year leavers who leave before the 15^th of the month will be funded until the end of the calendar month

iii)             In year leavers who leave after the 15^th will be funded until the end of the following calendar month

iv)             In year starters will be funded from the beginning of the calendar month of admission

Early Years Reference Group

The Forum noted the minutes from the Early Years Reference Group.

Schools Services Working Group

Simon Burke, Head of Business and Commercial Services, provided a verbal update and explained that it had been agreed to make improvements to the payroll system with e-payslips for all schools staff and direct electronic input by staff in schools. He confirmed that presentations would be brought to both WASSH and PHF and any training plan would require a business case to be drafted.

He explained that the current contract for broadband services ended in June 2013 and following discussions at the Schools Services Board he had invited a representative from the South West Grid for Learning to attend the Board’s January meeting to explain options which will be available from July.