Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Borough Treasurer.

The report provides Schools’ Forum members with the detail of the 2019/20 high needs block (HNB) Budget position.  The report also provides Schools’ Forum members with details of the consultation responses received to the Local Authority (LA) proposal to transfer 0.5% of the schools’ block allocation.

Schools’ Forum is requested to approve the proposed transfer.

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

A representative of the Borough Treasurer submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided Schools’ Forum members with the detail of the 2019/20 high needs block (HNB) Budget position.  The report also provided Schools’ Forum members with details of the consultation responses received to the Local Authority (LA) proposal to transfer 0.5% of the schools’ block allocation.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·         Schools’ Forum members commented that the increased complexity of some of the children coming into school needed to be recognised.

·         Members asked whether they could vote against the consultation results in their own sector?  In response, they were advised that this was possible, Schools’ Forum members are responsible for final approval, having taken account of the consultation responses, which will include the level/number of consultation responses actually achieved.

·         The proposals were about protecting the needs of the most vulnerable children in the community and from a moral point of view, approving the proposals was the correct thing to do.

·         Representatives of the Secondary Schools sector felt that they were being asked to manage many more complex children than they had been previously.  It was felt that taking more money out of the system would make matters worse.

·         Some Schools Forum members also felt that the proposal would mean taking money away from those children who were not designated as having special needs and that this could have a negative impact upon them.

·         Schools Forum members asked about what would happen if the proposal was not approved and what was being done in other Boroughs about this issue.

RESOLVED (i) That the report be noted.

(ii) Schools’ Forum acknowledged and considered the school responses provided to the Local Authority consultation document proposal.

(iii) A vote was taken on whether to approve the Local Authority proposal to transfer 0. 5% of the 2019/20 DSG schools’ block allocation to the high needs block.

11 Schools’ Forum members voted in favour of approving the proposal.

6 Schools’ Forum members voted against approving the proposal.

2 Schools’ Forum members abstained.

The Local Authority proposal to transfer 0.5% of the 2019/20 DSG schools’ block allocation to the high needs block was therefore approved.