Agenda

Gemma Limburn, Assistant Head of HR - Strategy will provide a verbal update on the background papers that were considered by the Employment Committee on 10 March (attached).

RECOMMENDED that the Schools Forum note the report on a living wage for Portsmouth.

Mike Stoneman, Strategic Commissioning Manager will present the attached report.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to provide the Schools Forum with an update of the Council’s Schools Modernisation Capital Programme 2014/15 and to determine the methodology that should be used to secure a contribution from schools that are included in the programme.   

RECOMMENDATION that the Schools Forum:

a)    Endorse the Council’s £1.3m Schools Modernisation Capital Programme for 2014/15.

b)   Approve the continued application in 2014-15, of the existing methodology for calculating a maintained school's contribution to capital schemes for condition works.

c)    Approve a school contribution of £5,000 for urgent works up to the value of £15,000; and for Schemes over £15,001 that the methodology set out in paragraph 3.3 be applied, subject to a minimum contribution of £5,000.

Susan Whitehouse, Head of Design, Housing and Property Services will provide a verbal update.

RECOMMENDED that the Schools Forum note the update on housing and property services.

Richard Webb, Finance Manager will present the attached paper.

RECOMMENDED that the Schools Forum note the analysis of schools block funding 2014-15.

Purpose.

The purpose of this report is to provide Schools Forum with information on the government's proposals for changes to the school revenue funding arrangements for 2015-16, together with Portsmouth's response to the consultation document 'Fairer Schools Funding in 2015-16' issued on the 13^th March 2014.

RECOMMENDED that the Schools Forum:

a.    Note the Government's proposals in respect of the changes to the school revenue funding arrangements for 2015-16 as set out in sections 3 to section 5.

b.    Note the implications for Portsmouth of the proposals set out in section 6.

c.    Endorse the response to the consultation "Fairer Schools Funding in 2015-16" attached in Appendix 3.

d.    Approve the proposals to set up working groups (one for the mainstream schools and one for the special schools) to support the implementation of the funding arrangements for 2015-16.

Purpose.

The purpose of this report is to provide Schools Forum with an update regarding the utilisation of the Falling Rolls Fund in 2014-15 and to request an early decision in respect of the use of the Schools Contingency Fund.

RECOMMENDED that the Schools Forum:

a.    Approve the proposals to allocate The City of Portsmouth Boys School a sum of £109,449 from the Schools Specific Contingency Fund to support the impact of falling numbers on roll.

b.    Endorse the proposal to refine the criteria for the Falling Rolls Fund for 2015-16 and present this to Schools Forum in July 2014.