Agenda item

·       Servicing of the RSF;

·       Copyright Licences – to note the 2016/2017 charge;

·       Growth Fund – as per previous report;

·       Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund – update on consultation with primary maintained schools to be provided.

Consideration was given to the 2016/2017 Dedicated Schools Grant, which had been announced by the Education Funding Agency on 17^th December, 2015. 

The total 2016/2017 DSG allocation was £220,046,000.  This amount was split between the three Blocks: -

·       Schools’ Block - £187,254,000;

·       Early Years’ Block - £12, 795,000 (provisional);

·       High Needs’ Block - £19,997,000.

The Rotherham Schools’ Forum were asked to consider the amounts that could be retained centrally by the Local Authority relating to the following budget headings: -

1.     Servicing of Schools’ Forum – historically been set at £3,000 for the last three financial years (the RSF needed to vote on this);

2.     Growth fund (previous item refers) (the RSF needed to vote on this);

3.     Schools in Financial Difficulty (de-delegated) (the primary maintained representatives of the RSF needed to vote on this);

4.     Central Licences (the RSF needed to note the amount set by the Department for Education). 

Discussion was held on the level of funding allocated to the High Needs’ Block, and on some broader formula issues: -

·       An urgent review was required to stop funding a deficit and determine the value for money within the High Needs’ Block;

·       The emerging focus group led by Paula Williams would look at this.  It was important that the group included Rotherham headteachers of all phases.  It was agreed that Paula Dobbin would represent the primary phase, Paul Bloor would represent PRUs/Julie Mott would represent Special Schools and Pepe Di’Iassio would represent the secondary phase;

·       In the 2015/2016 financial year the Director of Childrens’ Services had moved £2.954m from the Schools’ Block and £432k from the Early Years’ Block to the High Needs’ Block (Minute number 114, 24^th April, 2015 refers.  ‘Proposed Total Schools’ Budget 2015/2016 (Estimate)).  Was this proposed for the 2016/2017 financial year?;

·       The Secondary Governors’ Representative asked for consideration to be given to a special school governor joining the Rotherham Schools’ Forum to strengthen governance relating to the High Needs’ Block;

·       Was there any confirmation of a move to a national funding formula? – there was no announcement at the time of the meeting;

·       The Teaching School Representative requested that a future meeting of the RSF receive a model of different Guaranteed Unit of Funding levels. 

The Rotherham Schools’ Forum turned their attention to the areas of centrally retained DSG for Statutory Services: -

1.     Servicing of Schools’ Forum – a vote was taken on whether to de-delegate an amount of £3,000 for the servicing of the RSF.  £3,000 had been allocated in the previous three financial years. 

The Rotherham Schools’ Forum voted on a unanimous basis to centrally retain £3,000 for the servicing of the Rotherham Schools’ Forum. 

2.     Growth fund – vote taken in the previous item (Minute Number 20). 

An amount of £800,000 was agreed to be centrally retained on a majority basis by the Rotherham Schools’ Forum.  

3.     Schools in Financial Difficulty.  This funding was de-delegated from the budgets of local authority maintained primary schools.  Information about the background and history of Schools in Financial Difficulty funding had been forwarded to all of Rotherham’s local authority maintained primary schools and they were asked to indicate whether they supported the principle of SiFD.  Maintained primary schools were given a week to reply.  In total there were nineteen responses – 16 in support of maintaining the fund and principle of SiFD, and 3 votes against maintaining the fund/ principle. 

Two detailed comments were received and considered about the SiFD.  One school felt that the number of local authority maintained primary schools was declining to such a level that the pot of money would be reduced and become an ineffective amount.  Another school felt that it would be fair for schools to repay the amount following their financial recovery. 

The local authority maintained primary school representatives in attendance voted on a unanimous basis to maintain the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund in 2016/2017 at a value of £75k. 

4.     Central Licences had been negotiated by the Secretary of State at £237, 089. 

£237, 089 would be centrally retained from the Schools’ Block as it represented the charge for all Rotherham schools and academies relating to copyright licensing. 

Resolved: -  (1)   That the information shared be noted. 

(2)  That the High Needs’ Block Focus Group meet and report back to the Rotherham Schools’ Forum on issues relating to the High Needs’ Block, including setting an appropriate budget and achieving value for money. 

(3)  That consideration be given to a representative of special school governance joining the Rotherham Schools’ Forum.

(4)  That models be presented to a future meeting of the Rotherham Schools’ Forum relating to differing levels of Guaranteed Unit of Funding. 

(5)  That the 2016/2017 budget allocations be confirmed as: -

a)    £3,000 from the Schools’ Block to be retained centrally for the Servicing of the Rotherham Schools Forum;

b)    £800,000 from the Schools’ Block to be retained centrally for the Growth Fund;

c)     £75k to be de-delegated from local authority maintained primary school budgets for the Schools’ in Financial Difficulty Fund;

d)    £237, 089 from the Schools’ Block to be retained centrally for copyright licence fees.