Agenda and minutes

To agree the Council’s procedure rules for remote meetings.

RESOLVED

THAT the guidance be noted.

To elect the Schools Forum Vice Chair for 2021/2022.

RESOLVED

THAT having been nominated and seconded, that Jane Hindle be appointed as Vice Chair of the Schools Forum for 2021/22.

To Note: All

To note the Schools Forum membership list and any updates.

Consideration was given to the membership list and it was noted that Kathy Bannon had been nominated as a full member of the Schools Forum.

To Note: All

Apologies for absence had been received from James Hadley, Vijita Patel and Peter Sprinz.  

No declarations were made.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes. If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast.”

Any other announcements

The Chair announced the following:

 “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on the Council website for six months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes. If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast.”

To Note: All

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 19^th October 2021.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the last meeting and it was noted that:

·       Colin Reader should have been listed as present,

·       Jen Allan clarified that she had not sent apologies for absence, she had been unable to attend the last meeting because she did not have the link to join the meeting.   

RESOLVED

THAT the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a correct record subject to the changes above .

To Note: All

There was no urgent business.

Report of the Director of Early Intervention and Prevention, Supporting People

This report is to ensure the Schools Forum continues to be informed and consulted on financial issues relating to arrangements for pupils with special educational needs, including the arrangements for paying top-up funding to schools.

  Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Early Intervention and Prevention that provided information, as well as consultation with the Schools Forum, on financial issues relating to arrangements for pupils with special educational needs, including the arrangements for paying top-up funding to schools.

  The detailed report was welcomed and the following points were raised during consideration of the report:

·       Clarification on what the report recommendations were asking the Schools Forum to do

·       That the timing of this consultation felt rushed and not as transparent as it could be 

·       Considerable concerns from head teachers about the cluster model process and that more timely and sufficient information would have created less anxiety than there now was 

·       Concerns about the proposed role of Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and the level of decision making that they were being tasked with in addition to their already heavy workloads 

·       Understanding the rationale for the structure and more detailed communication with head teachers were essential for this process

·       A meeting involving headteachers and SENCOs would be a constructive way to manage information 

     In response the Forum was told, that:  

·        The Schools Forum, as a statutory body, was being consulted and asked to endorse decisions that would be made by the local authority

·        It was not the intention to put pressure on schools and further information about the process and cluster arrangements would be available at the briefing sessions 

·        The briefing meetings with headteachers were scheduled for December and January    

Having considered the report recommendations the Schools Forum  

RESOLVED

1.    THAT the contents of the report and continued progress with the transformation programme be noted

2.    THAT further information on the implications of the proposals for funding the following from the start of the 2022/23 financial year be provided for the Schools Forums consideration at the next meeting in February 2022:    

a.    mainstream devolved funding, the increase of the value of Bands 1 and 2 by 5.5% and the continuation of proportionality payments for 2 more years

b.    early years Camden Local Inclusion Fund (CLIF) funding

3.    THAT the intention to develop further specific proposals for increased top     up rates in specials schools and Additional Resources Provision (ARPs) and the outreach offer be noted,

4.    THAT the increase of places in secondary ARP provision be noted,

5.    THAT the proposal for the continued support of the Rhyl Satellite for a further 2 years until the end of the academic year 2023/2024 be endorsed

To Note: All

Action By: Director of Early Intervention and Prevention

Report of Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation – Supporting People

At the recent October meeting, forum was presented with the results of the consultation document sent to schools relating to the funding arrangements for 2022/23. As there were no significant objections raised from the consultation forum confirmed its agreement of the funding formula to be used for the distribution of funds to schools for 2022/23.This report indicates the latest estimate of funding for the schools Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) block by school – (unchanged from the October report) and seeks schools forum’s agreement on the amount of DSG de-delegation and Education Services Grant (ESG) retention for next year.

The individual schools figures are only indicative of the notional National Funding Formula (NFF) figures to be allocated to the overall schools budget for distribution by the Council via Camden’s local formula. Final individual school budgets will be released to schools pending update of Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) data (with the October 2021 census data) and its application to the local Camden schools’ formula using the Authority Planning Tool (APT). This is expected in late December 2021.

Consideration was given to a report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation that provided information on the current available information on the funding position for schools. The report provided the latest estimate of funding for the schools Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) block by school – (unchanged from the October report) and was seeking the Schools Forum agreement on the amount of DSG de-delegation and Education Services Grant (ESG) retention for next year.

The following points were raised during consideration of the report:

·       The funding of bulge classes and what requirements were there for additional funding

·       Clarity for new members of the Schools Forum about what they were being asked to endorse

·       That the government changes could be seen as a precursor to academization

·       That there was support for dedelegation

·       The need for the essential role provided by Camden Learning

In response the Forum was told that:

·       There were some bulge classes as a result of school mergers and these classes were continuing to be funded 

·       A report on levels of contingency funding would be provided for the next Forum meeting in February 

Action By: Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

RESOLVED

(a)    THAT thelevel of reserves to be used to support thefunding allocations to schools as set out in paragraphs 1.15 be noted,

(b)    THAT the provisional National Funding Formula (NFF) allocations to individual schools discussed in the report in section 1.18 and set out in Appendix 1 be noted. It was also noted, that these were onlyindicative NFF allocations and were not thefinal school budgets,

(c)    THAT the current forecast spending plans for thehigh needs and early years blocks as set out in sections 4 and 5 respectively be noted,

(d)    THAT the use of the Central School Services Block (CSSB) replacement of the former top sliced amountsdetailed in section 1.3 be noted,

(e)    THAT the retention of the funding to contribute to ongoingservices carried out for schools formerly funded by Education Services Grant (ESG) in 2022/23,as set out in section 1.11 be approved in principle,

(f)     THAT the de-delegated budgets as set out in section 2 be approved

(g)     THAT the potential effects of the future cost pressures outlined in section 8 on schools budgets be noted

To Note: All

Action By: Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

Report of Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation -Supporting People

Schools Forum received the draft Camden Education Strategy ‘Building Back Stronger’ at its October meeting. The executive summary of the strategy is included as annex to this report.

Schools Forum is being asked to consider its formal response to the strategy, with particular focus on those elements related to its duties regarding schools funding and the funding of education services retained by the Council.

Moreover, the forum is being asked whether it would wish to consider a formal oversight role in reviewing and receiving reports from the Council that relate to the elements of the strategy concerning the provision of ‘A good, local school place available for every Camden child’ and its relationship to school organisation and collaboration strategies.

At the last meeting the Forum had received the draft Camden Education Strategy ‘Building Back Stronger’, further to this, the executive summary of the strategy had been provided in the report for this agenda item. The Forum was asked to formally respond to the strategy, with a particular focus on those elements that related to its duties regarding schools funding and the funding of education services retained by the Council. The Forum was also asked

whether it would wish to consider a formal oversight role in receiving reports from the Council that related to school place planning elements of the education strategy.

During consideration of the report the Forum discussed what the process for their formal oversight might involve. 

In response they were told that the authority would welcome suggestions from the Forum on how head teachers and governors could hold schools and the authority to account. Also the role of the Schools Forum would depend on the final wording in the report recommendations and the decisions made by the Cabinet. 

The Forum requested that a report that provided an overview of what was required of them be submitted to the Schools Forum, for further discussion, following the Cabinet’s decision.  

Action By: Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

RESOLVED

THAT the consultation on the Education Strategy be noted and that a report with suggestions for the oversight role be submitted to the Schools Forum for their consideration.  

To Note: All

Action By: Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

There was no such business.