Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The report provides Schools Forum members with details of the sub-group established to undertake a review of all Schools Budget activity currently financed via the deployment of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and an outline of initial plans/actions agreed.

Schools Forum members are asked to note the report.

Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or email peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the details of the sub-group established to undertake a review of all Schools Budget activity financed via the deployment of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and an outline of initial plans/actions agreed.

The 2015/16 Schools Budget constructed and presented to the Corporate Director for Services to People for approval utilised c. £0.8m of DSG central reserve funding to set a balanced budget. The need to use these reserves to balance the original 2015/16 Schools Budget outlined a requirement to address a short-medium term sustainability issue. Furthermore the 2015/16 Schools Budget had further potential to increase the reliance on the deployment of DSG central reserve monies as additional cost pressures emerged including additional SEN places being required at Lisburne School from September 2015.

The first meeting of the DSG review group established to undertake a review of the total schools budget finances by the DSG was held on 14 May 2015. The level of DSG reserve projected to remain unallocated (i.e. £0.691m) at 31 March 2016 was not at a sufficient level to balance the 2016/17 budget and retain all current 2015/16 base budget costs. Therefore further savings would be required in 2016/17 to align costs within the projected total available resources. Initial short term solutions identified included (at an estimated reduced cost of £0.4m):

·         Early Years funding formula (reduction to base rate funding);

·         PRUs (realignment of resources relating to vacant places);

·         Inclusion (reduce service provision); and

·         Extended Schools (cease support).

The second stage of the DSG review was focused on the longer term aims, strategy and plans for deployment of the DSG that provided a sustainable, effective and efficient system that supported all Stockport pupils in their ambitions to achieve their desired outcomes. The next stages of this work would include:

·         Activities – Assessment of School Place planning (including review of SENPanel and system of allocation);

·         VfM of Centralised support services – Assessment and review of service impact, support levels required and the most effective service delivery model;

·         Post-16 – Assessment of provision, unit costs and service delivery;

·         SEND Review – Full review of SEND provision (i.e. Mainstream provision/expectations and place provision and mapping of Resourced Provision bases and Special Schools); and

·         Alignment to the Stockport Family approach.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The need for high needs support in mainstream schools;

·         The impact of pupil movement from the maintained to PVI sector for 3 and 4 year olds;

·         The demand for inclusion services and special educational needs provision is growing;

·         Mainstream schools had transformed to be inclusive;

·         The need to assess the value for money of SEN provision as opposed to cutting services;

·         The Local Authority should bid for further capital funding for SEN provision.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That members of Schools Forum be notified of the date for the next DSG Review Group before the end of the summer term.