Venue: Castle Hill School, Offerton, Stockport
Contact: Democratic Services
No. | Item |
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Welcome and Introductions Minutes: The Chair welcomed members to the meeting of the Forum and introductions were made. |
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Apologies for Absence/Substitutions Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Renee Dickens. |
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2015. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2015 were approved as a correct record. |
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Matters Arising To discuss any matters arising. Minutes: There were no matters arising. |
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To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.
The report provides Schools Forum members with an executive summary report of the business matters included on the main agenda.
The Forum is recommended to note the executive summary and offer any views, comments and feedback to be considered for future Executive summary reports.
Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or email peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk.
Minutes: A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the Forum with an executive summary of the business matters included on the main agenda.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted. |
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Education Capital Update PDF 88 KB To consider a report
of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services. Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or email peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk. Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for People submitted a report (copies of
which had been circulated) providing an update on the previous
report of March 2014 which focused upon the Education Capital
programme 2012 to 2016 and in particular the work underway to renew
and extend educational estate in the face of the increased birth
rate and additional demand for primary places being experienced at
this time.
· Creating a new 3 Form Entry school building to replace both Orrishmere and Queen’s Road Primary Schools; · Rebuilding and extending 75% of Arden and Warren Wood Primary Schools; · Creating a new school building for Key Stage 2 of St Thomas CE Primary in the Heatons at the Peel Moat site; · Rebuilds for Werneth Secondary School as well as Abingdon, Bridge Hall and St John’s CE Primary Schools; · Major refurbishments at Hazel Grove Primary School, Cheadle Primary School and Great Moor Junior School as part of the successful phase 2 bids for Priority Building Schools Program funding from the DfE.
It was further
reported that Stockport schools have been able to offer a meal to
all infants from the inception date as required under the statutory
obligation/requirements of the universal infant free school meals
(UIFSM) initiative, and had also won additional central government
funding for Hursthead Infants School
and Bolshaw Primary School to support the introduction. A bid was
also put forward on behalf of the diocese for further support for
St Phillip’s Catholic Primary School and that bid was also
successful.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted. |
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Internal Audit, Risk & Insurance - Update PDF 67 KB
To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate &
Support Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Forum
on current developments from Internal Audit, Risk and Insurance
services and providing a summary outline of all school audit and
insurance activity over the previous twelve months of April 2014 to
March 2015.
· Schools risk assessed to ensure high risk schools were audited more frequently; · More emphasis on cross cutting thematic audits, the findings and recommendations of which were presented to School Business Manager meetings and Schools Forum. · The expansion of the Continuous Auditing Model whereby data interrogation software was used by Internal Audit to report frequently on control weakness and exceptions within key systems operated at schools, for example, payroll and procurement; · Follow up of agreed audit recommendations was undertaken by Schools Finance and the results discussed quarterly with Internal Audit.
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School Reserves 2014/15 Final Out-Turn PDF 69 KB To consider a report
of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.
Additional documents: Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update
on the level of school reserves held in relation to insurance
schemes that are administered by the Local Authority and requesting
the Forum to determine how the reserves held by the Local Authority
in relation to administered insurance schemes are used.
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2014-15 DSG Out-Turn Position A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services will
report at the meeting. Minutes: A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services reported on the 2014/15 final out-turn position, and that there was a £0.917m net surplus, adjusted for £0.595m of carry-forward requests approved by SMT, which provided an adjusted position of £0.322m that had been transferred into the General DSG Reserve.
The DSG reserve would
be deployed to support/underpin both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 DSG
budget requirements, subject to any outcomes emanating from the DSG
review group. |
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Final School Balances 2014/15 PDF 70 KB To consider a report
of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services. Additional documents: Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the final
detailed analysis of the total school balances position recorded as
at 31 March 2015, and the details of the application of the
excessive school surplus balance mechanism process applied to
schools reporting a surplus balance above the 12% threshold level
as per the Scheme for Financing Schools document. |
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Schools Financial Value Standard PDF 158 KB To consider a report
of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services. Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update
on the requirement for schools to complete the self-assessment
process against the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS),
information of the schools the Local Authority Schools Finance team
supported through the process via a service level agreement and
details of good practice identified across the sector.
· Skills matrix not completed · Business interests forms not completed by all staff · Finance training for SLT members · Limited collaboration between schools
The SFVS assessment
required all governing bodies to review and complete the
self-assessment on an annual basis and the schools finance team was
keen to continue to actively support and assist schools in this
process. Universal governor training would continue to be provided
via an annual update and the SLA facilitation service would also be
available to those schools wishing to purchase in 2015/16, of which
24 schools had already submitted request for support. Additionally,
due to the increased pay freedoms afforded to schools and governing
bodies, the DfE had advised that 2
additional questions had been included in the standard for 2015/16
relating to schools’ pay decisions.
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Schools Formula Funding - National Data PDF 58 KB To consider a report
of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services. Additional documents: Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the latest
information released by the Department for Education (DfE) regarding all local authorities 2015/16
schools local formula funding models implemented.
· There were no plans to review the formula in 2015 as it had been implemented in autumn 2014 for a 2 year period; · The Local Authority had used data from the previous formula submission to inform the 2015/16 formula; · Stockport allocated £334 per pupil under the looked-after children factor, which was in the lowest category.
RESOLVED – (1)
That the report be noted. |
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To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and
Support Services.
The Forum is invited to consider the detailed
recommendations in the report. Additional documents:
Minutes: A representative of
the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted
a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing Schools
Forum members with details of the latest Schools Forum Operational
and Good Practice Guide released by the Department for Education
(DfE) in March 2015 and provided
Schools Forum members with the updated Terms of Reference
document.
· Each representative group should meet in the days prior to the Schools Forum meeting to discuss agenda items, however this would be difficult for the Local Authority to monitor; · Chair details to be shared with other Local Authorities to facilitate discussion, collaborations and networking; · Whilst the Government good practice recommended that recommendations were clearly outlined at the start of the report, Forum members preferred the recommendations at the end of the report; · Members requested that they be notified when the minutes of Schools Forum were published; · Assess option of providing an annual report on the proceedings of the Forum; · Key national updates would be presented as reports to the Forum; and ·
A dedicated Schools Forum website was recognised as unsustainable
due to cost and maintenance and members were referred to the area
designated to Schools Forum on the Council’s website which
included the Schools Forum newsletter. RESOLVED – (1)
That the report be noted. (2) That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to notify members of the Forum when Minutes are published.
(3) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services co-ordinate the agreed actions relating to the aspects of the guide not imbedded in Stockport’s Schools Forum.
(4) That the Corporate Directors for People and Corporate & Support Services be requested to assess Stockport’s Schools Forum operations with the Chair and Vice-Chair and report back to the Forum in due course. |
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Schedule of Meetings & Training PDF 66 KB To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.
The report provides members with details of the scheduled meetings for the 2014/15 academic year the proposed forward planner of Schools Forum business.
The Forum is invited to consider the detailed recommendations in the report.
Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or email: peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk.
Additional documents: Minutes: A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating members with details of the scheduled meetings for the 2014/15 academic year and the proposed forward planner of Schools Forum business.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted. |
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Any Other Business To discuss any other business. Minutes: There was no other business. |
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Date of Next Meeting Minutes: RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the Schools Forum be held on Thursday 9 July 2015 at Castle Hill High School, The Fairway, Offerton, with an optional question and answer session on reports to be considered to be held prior to the commencement of the meeting at 3.45pm. |