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Agenda

Agenda

Venue: Conference Room A - Civic Offices. View directions

Contact: Jane Di Dino 023 9283 4060  Email: jane.didino@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

2.

Declarations of Interests

3.

Membership Changes.

4.

Schools Forum Constitution

Richard Webb, Finance Manager will provide a verbal update.

 

Recommendation.

Schools Forum is recommended to amend the Schools Forum Membership to add one additional Non-Schools Member representative. This representative will be an Elected Member from the United Kingdom Independence Party.

5.

Minutes and Matters Arising from the Previous Meeting - 30 April 2014. pdf icon PDF 111 KB

6.

Universal Infant Free School Meals pdf icon PDF 202 KB

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to provide the Schools Forum with an update on the implementation of the Universal Infant Free School Meals initiative and to highlight a future change to the price of school meals to parents subject to the conclusion of contract re-negotiations with ISS.

 

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Schools Forum:

a) Note the progress that has been made in implementing the Universal Infant Free School Meals initiative.

b) Request that officers bring back to a future Schools Forum meeting a paper setting out the proposed future cost per meal to parents/carers once the re-negotiations of the existing contract with ISS have been completed.

Additional documents:

7.

School Balances at 31 March 2014 pdf icon PDF 214 KB

 

 

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to inform the Schools Forum as to the level of schools' revenue and capital balances as at 31st March 2014.

 

Recommendation

It is recommended that Schools Forum notes the level of schools' revenue balances and capital balances as at 31st March 2014 as shown in Appendices 1 & 2.

 

Additional documents:

8.

DSG Outturn Position 2013-14 pdf icon PDF 198 KB

Purpose

This purpose of this report is to inform Schools Forum of the final position of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) spending in 2013-14 and confirms the carry forward funding brought into 2014-15.

 

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Schools Forum:

a) Note the reasons for the under and overspends within the DSG budget in 2013-14.

b) Acknowledge that the carry forward funding is not available on an ongoing basis.

9.

Revised Budget 2014-15 pdf icon PDF 556 KB

Purpose.

The purpose of this report is to inform Schools Forum of the latest announcements from the Department for Education (DfE) in respect of the Dedicated Schools Grant funding and to propose amendments to the 2014-15 budgets in order to maintain overall affordability.

 

Recommendations.

It is recommended that Schools Forum:

a)    Acknowledge the estimated financial pressures and the reasons for them as set out in sections 5 and 6 of this report; as well as the fact that the final outturn for 2014-15 may change.

 

b)    Agree to allocate the increase in the Early Years block DSG of £114,000 to support the 3 & 4 year old Nursery provision budget.

 

c)    Note the forecast overspend for 2014-15 of £250,000 in the 3 & 4 year old Nursery provision after allocating the £114,000, and that any underspend in the 2 year place funding will be used to offset this.

 

d)    Agree to meet the estimated financial pressures of £1,067,000 in respect of the High Needs budgets in 2014-15 by:

            i.         Allocating the additional High Needs Block DSG funding of £292,000 to the High Needs budgets.

 

          ii.         Transferring the unused Falling Rolls funding in 2014-15 of £391,000 to the High Needs budgets.

 

         iii.         Transferring £384,000 on a one-off basis from the 2013-14 carry-forward to the High Needs budgets

 

e)    Agree the revised budget for 2014-15 as set out in Appendix 1.

 

f)     Acknowledge the forecast financial pressures in respect of the High Needs budget in 2015-16 of circa £1.433m and the options for balancing the budget as set out in paragraphs 7.7 to 7.11.

 

g)    Agree that based on the options in paragraphs 7.7 to 7.11, officers develop specific proposals for balancing the budget in 2015-16 and that these be brought back to a future meeting of the Forum for approval.

 

h)   Agree to amend the funding allocation methodology for the 2014-15 Growth Fund, subject to DfE approval, as follows:

 

'The one-off allocation from the growth fund to schools’, who meet the Growth Fund  criteria, will be equal to £1,100 per Primary pupil of the current academic year’s increase in the Number of Roll. For secondary schools, the rate of £1,500 per pupil will be used in the calculation.'

 

 

10.

Scheme For Financing Schools pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Purpose

This report outlines the proposed changes to the Scheme for Financing Schools which reflect the revisions required by the Department for Education and have been consulted on with schools.

 

Recommendation

It is recommended that Schools Forum approve the revised Scheme for Financing Schools attached at Appendix 1.

Additional documents:

11.

Funding Reform 2015-16 pdf icon PDF 447 KB

 

 Purpose

This purpose of this report is to:

a)    Provide Schools Forum with an update on the progress and developments on the implementation of the school revenue funding arrangements for 2015-16; and

b)    Seek the necessary approvals at this stage in the process.

 

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Schools Forum:

a)    Endorse the principles proposed by the working groups in Appendices 2 and 3, to guide and inform the development of the funding arrangements for 2015-16.

 

b)    Acknowledge the mainstream funding working groups proposals:

i)         not to alter the lump sum factor in 2015-16;

     ii)     not to introduce the split site funding factor in 2015-16;

 

for the reasons set out in section 5 of this report.

 

c)  Note that the mainstream funding formula consultation will be issued early in the autumn term and any feedback from schools will be presented to the Schools Forum meeting in October.

 

d)  Endorse the submission to the DfE of the necessary Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) exceptions and dis-applications.

 

e)  Acknowledge the proposal that any changes to the unit values attached to funding factors in 2015-16 in order to maintain overall affordability, will be limited to the following formula factors:

·           Basic Per Pupil Entitlement

·           Prior Attainment

·           Lump sum

·           Percentage of the financial cap

 

f)   Note the recent announcements from the DfE in respect of the High Needs funding arrangements as set out in paragraphs 6.1a to 6.1d.

g)  Acknowledge the Special working groups continued support for the existing Element 3 top-up funding system for Special Schools, and the proposed review of the banding descriptors.

 

h)  Acknowledge the proposal not to amend the band values for Special Schools in setting the budget for 2015-16.

 

i)    Note the proposed changes for 2015-16 in respect of the de-delegated budgets from maintained schools as set out in section 7.

 

j)    Note the next steps in the development of the 2015-16 funding arrangements as set out in section 9.

 

k)  Consider and approve one of the following options:

 

i)    Approve the proposed criteria and funding allocation methodology for the Falling Rolls Fund in 2015-16 as set out in Appendix 5, subject to approval by the Department for Education; or

ii) Cease the operation of the Falling Rolls Fund in 2015-16.

 

12.

Any Other Business.