Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed Anne Thompson to her first meeting of the Forum as a newly appointed Primary Governor representative.

Apologies for absence were received from Ian Irwin, Stephanie Longson, Linda McGrath, Jenny Menzies-Gow and Dawn Strachan.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2013.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 5 December 2013 were approved as a correct record, subject to Minute 9 (2) being amended to read:-

That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be invited to a future meeting of the Schools Forum once the new structure for his directorate was in place.

To discuss any matters arising.

There were no matters arising.

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

The report provides members of the Forum 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 e mail: 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) providing members of the Forum with an executive summary report of the business matters included on the main agenda. This had been produced following a recommendation in the Schools Forum ‘Operational and Good Practice Guide’ published in October 2013.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

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

The Forum is recommended to:-

a)    Note the report;

b)   Approve the revised Terms of Reference (Appendix 1);

c)    Note the updated membership and terms of office information (Appendix 2);

d)   Offer any views in relation to the new processes/procedures presented at section 4.2 above and/or any other matters; and

e)    Discuss and determine an appropriate date for the Schools Forum induction training session as per section 5.5 above.

Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or e mail: 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) providing members with updated terms of reference for the Forum; the current membership list and terms of office; and details of new operational process and/or procedures to be implemented.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the revised Terms of Reference, as set out in Appendix 1, be approved.

(3) That the updated membership and information related to members’ term of office, as set out in Appendix 2, be noted.

(4) That a Schools Forum induction training session be held in the period after the February half term and before the end of the financial year at Reddish Vale Technology College.

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

The Forum is recommended to:-

a)    Note the report;

b)   Discuss the content and specifically the consultation responses relating to the 2014/15 local funding formula;

c)    Note and support the LA plan to apply a weighting to the year 1 cohort of pupils not achieving a “good development” level for the purposes of distributing SEN prior attainment funding;

d)   Note the LA proposal to be presented to the Executive as per section 6.7 above;

e)    Identify the Schools Forum recommendation to be presented to the Executive if different from the LA proposal; and

f)     Offer any views relating to the Scheme for Financing Schools document proposed amendments (as per section 4.7 above).

Officer contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or e mail: peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the responses received to the Schools Financial Consultation document launched in the autumn term 2013; providing members with details of the Services to People senior management team views and proposal to be submitted to the Executive; and seeking a recommendation from the Schools Forum to be submitted to the Executive relating to the 2014/15 Schools Local Funding Formula.

Members debated the report and specifically the consultation responses relating to the 2014/15 local funding formula.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the local authority’s proposal to apply a weighting to the year 1 cohort of pupils not achieving a ‘good development’ level for the purposes of distributing Special Educational Needs prior attainment funding be supported;

(3) (Twelve for, one against, one abstention) That the following proposals be submitted to the Council’s Executive Meeting:-

Primary Schools – Option 2 – increase BE Factor to 70% and fund from both Lump Sum and Deprivation on a 50/50 split.

Secondary Schools – Option 3 - maintain status quo formula – with amendments made to BOTH SEN Prior Attainment and the Lump Sum/BE factors as per the consultation document.

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

The report provides members with details of the revenue and capital funding announcements released by the Department for Education in December 2013.

The Forum is recommended to note the report.

Officer: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or e mail: 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) providing members of the Forum with details of the revenue and capital funding announcements released by the Department for Education in December 2013.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

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

The Forum is recommended to:-

a)    Note the report;

b)   Note the details of the de-delegation arrangements for 2014/15 for the services outlined at section 3 as agreed at the last meeting;

c)    Accept the criteria to be applied to determine the funding allocations to support of schools/academies in the secondary sector with “falling numbers” (Appendix 1);

d)   Accept the criteria to be applied to determine any funding allocations to support schools/academies with “pupil growth” including ICS (Appendix 2);

e)    Approve the 2014/15 central reserve funding level proposed at section 6.5 to meet any costs arising to support schools/academies with “falling rolls” and/or “pupil growth”

f)     Discuss and determine if any additional funding is to be centrally retained to continue to support all maintained schools with pupil growth as per section 6.6 -6.8

g)   Approve the 2014/15 funding levels assigned to each individual central statutory function as outlined in the table at section 7.4; and

h)   Note the transfer of funding from schools block to high needs block for mainstream school/academies top-up payments as per sections 8.6 & 9.8.

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

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Forum on the Schools Budget for 2014/15.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the details of the de-delegation arrangements for 2014/15 for the services outlined in Section 3 of the report, as agreed at the last meeting of the Forum, be noted.

(3) That the criteria to be applied to determine the funding allocations to support schools/academies in the secondary sector with ‘falling numbers’, as set out in Appendix 1, be accepted.

(4) That the criteria to be applied to determine any funding applications to support schools/academies with ‘pupil growth’, including ICS, as set out in Appendix 2, be supported.

(5) That the 2014/15 central reserve funding level proposed in section 6.5 of the report to meet any costs arising to support schools/academies with ‘falling rolls’ and/or ‘pupil growth’ be approved.

(6) That approval be given to additional funding being centrally retained to continue to support all maintained schools with pupil growth, as proposed in Sections 6.6 – 6.8 of the report.

(7) That the 2014/15 funding levels assigned to each individual central statutory function as outlined in the table at Section 7.4 of the report be approved; and

(8) That the transfer of funding from the Schools block to the High Needs block for mainstream schools/academies’ top-up payments, as set out in Sections 8.6 and 9.8 of the report, be approved.

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

The Forum is recommended to:-

a)    Note the report;

b)   Agree the proposed meeting dates for the summer term 2014 outlined at section 3.1;

c)    Request any reports for future meetings;

d)   Discuss any amendment to the forward planner; and

e)    Request any items for training/development sessions.

Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or e mail: 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) providing members of the Forum with an updated schedule of meetings for the academic year 2013/14, an opportunity for members of the Forum to request reports for future meetings and/or make amendments to the forward planner and request any items for training/development sessions.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the meetings in the summer term 2014 be held at 4.15pm on the revised dates of Tuesday 20 May 2014 and Thursday 3 July 2014.

The Chair reported that there was no longer a Vice-Chair for the Forum since Damian Cunningham ceased to be a member.

RESOLVED – That the appointment of a Vice-Chair for the Forum be considered at the next meeting.

There was no other business.

The next meeting of the Forum is scheduled to be held at 4.15pm on Thursday 20 March 2014.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting be held at 4.15pm on Thursday 20 March 2014 at the ICT Centre, Kingsway School, Broadway Campus with an optional question and answer session for members to be held beforehand at 3.45pm.