Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair and Vice-Chair of Schools Forum for the 2023-24 academic year.

Proposed by Daniel Silverstone and seconded by John Hayes, Katy Forsdyke was elected as the Chair of Schools Forum for the duration of the 2023-24 academic year.

Proposed by Katy Forsdyke and seconded by John Hayes, Daniel Silverstone was elected as the Vice-Chair of Schools Forum for the duration of the 2023-24 academic year.

To note the Schools Forum membership list and any updates.

The Chair welcomed, on behalf of the Forum, the new headteacher representative Jules Belton from St Mary and St Pancras Primary.

RESOLVED -

THAT the membership list be noted.

Apologies had been received from Jen Allan, Alan Chesters and James Hadley.

There were no declarations.

Broadcast of the meeting

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 our 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 consider and approve the minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2023.

RESOLVED -

THATthe minutesof the lastmeeting heldon 6 June2023 beapproved asa correct record.

To note the Schools Forum terms of reference.

The Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation updated the Forum on training opportunities for Schools Forum members. Upon request, induvial or group training sessions were on offer to members to cover the statutory functions of Schools Forum, which would include detailing areas where the views of the Forum were advisory or consultative. Officers agreed to circulate Schools Forum Department for Education (DfE) guidance documents.

Action By - Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

In response to members, the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation explained that there were statutory points in the year where Schools Forum were consulted upon and timelines of consultation of the funding formulas, which were reflected in report recommendations. At request of the Forum, officers agreed to include a forward plan within the agenda from the next meeting which indicated any statutory obligations of the Forum.

Action By - Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

RESOLVED -

THAT the terms of reference be noted.

There was no urgent business.

This report updates Schools Forum on the national funding position following the latest July 2023 ESFA technical updates and guidance on schools funding for 2024/25. It provides forum with estimates of the possible impacts on resources up to and beyond 2023/24. It then sets out a draft consultation document for comment by the Forum, seeking the views of schools and other interested parties about any changes to the school funding arrangements for 2024/25.

The report recaps that the schools national funding formula (NFF) was introduced in April 2018 with transitional arrangements whereby local authorities maintain a local funding formula for the distribution of schools and high needs block grants, until 2019/20. It then explains how the updated Education Schools Funding Agency (ESFA) July Guidance for 2023 2024-25 on NFF has now extended this arrangement to 2024/25 and continued its “mirroring” requirement to reduce the difference between individual local formulas and the NFF factors annually by 10%. This now makes 2025/26 the earliest year for the completed national funding formula proposals.

The report also indicates the current budget pressures and the position regarding any possible draw down or addition to Designated Schools Grant (DSG) reserves following the uplifted DSG allocations for 2024/25 announced in July 2023.

The draft consultation section of the report outlines the current and any proposed changes or ESFA statutory requirements to the local Camden funding formula (primary and secondary schools) used for the distribution of the schools DSG block. The recommendation is that there be no changes to the current formula beyond uplifting the local formula factors in line with the general DSG inflation increase for 2024/25 (currently 2.64%) subject to the new ESFA statutory “mirroring” requirements. These ESFA requirements are mainly maximum and minimum factor value requirements introduced to reduce any difference between individual local formula and NFF factors by 10% per year. This approach continues forums earlier aim to wherever possible continue with its current agreed local formula with minimal changes. This is to enable schools to concentrate on dealing with the real terms funding reductions to school budgets (caused by ongoing high levels of inflation and a significant period of below inflation increases to per pupil funding in past years) without introducing new redistributive effects from changes to the local formula at this stage.

The report also explains the timetable leading up to a decision on the funding formula by the authority, which is required prior to the end of October in order to comply with a requirement to inform the government of any changes by 30th November.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation.

The Team Leader Schools and Designated Schools Grant (DSG) presented the reportwhich updatedthe Forumon the on the national funding position following the latest July 2023 Education Schools Funding Agency (ESFA) technical updates and guidance on schools funding for 2024/25; estimates of the possible impacts on resources up to and beyond 2023/24; the draft consultation document seeking the views of schools and other interested parties about any changes to the school funding arrangements for 2024/25; and the current budget pressures and the position regarding any possible draw down or addition to DSG reserves following the uplifted DSG allocations for 2024/25 announced in July 2023.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Forum. The following was discussed:

-       In relation to sections 5.1-5.5, teacher pay increase, it was confirmed that the uplift was expected to be embedded into funding following the initial two years.

-       In relation to the ESFA requirement of local authorities to move their local funding formular 10% closer to the NFF per year, a member asked how close Camden’s formula was currently to the NFF. In response, it was confirmed that there were c.20 local authorities who were reasonably far from the NFF, but Camden was not significantly far and getting closer.

-       In relation to the differences between the NFF and the local funding formular, it was confirmed that Camden’s primary focus was toward deprivation factors, rather than low attainment, which was higher in Camden than nationally and therefore a priority.

-       In relation to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), it was confirmed that officers were not aware of any updates on the horizon that would affect Schools Forum considerations.

-       Forum members stated that Appendix 1, the draft consultation document seeking the views of schools and other interested parties about any changes to the school funding arrangements for 2024/25, should be tabled at the Headteachers Consultative Forum to encourage more responses.

RESOLVED –

THAT Schools Forum

a)    note the developments regarding the planned implementation of the national funding formula, as set out in sections 1 to 4;

b)    note the current pressures on schools’ budgets and the support being provided by the Council in sections 5 to 8. The timetable for consultation on the local funding formula is outlined in section 9; and

c)    comment on the draft 2024/25 budget consultation document prior to circulation to schools and other relevant parties, as described in sections 9 and set out in Appendix 1.

Following discussion at July Schools Forum, this report sets out proposals for the development of a High Needs Block sub-group of the Schools Forum.  The purpose would be to allow more in-depth consideration of the use of the HNB in partnership with the local authority, bringing high level recommendations back to the Schools Forum.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion

The Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion presented the report which set out proposals and a terms of reference for a HNB sub-group of the Schools Forum. The purpose of the sub-group would be to allow more in-depth consideration of the use of the HNB in partnership with the local authority and to bring high level recommendations back to the Schools Forum. The sub-group would be a time limited task and finish group, to be completed by the end of the 2023/24 academic year.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Forum.

In relation to section 2.2, membership, the following was discussed:

-       Members queried the membership of the sub-group, noting that the success of the Exceptional Needs Grant (ENG) development was the input of headteachers and people who worked in schools, with elected Member oversight; the ENG success was related to schools not being handed a structure which did not fit on the ground by those who did not work in schools. In response, it was stated that the intention was for Schools Forum members to sit on the sub-group with the ability to co-opt others in the space.

-       Members noted that the sub-group would benefit from an Early Years, post-16 settings, and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) representatives.  They further stated that membership depended on what aims the sub-group wanted to achieve.

-       It was noted by members that the financial knowledge and overview of Schools Forum members voice was valuable to the purpose of the sub-group.

-       Members suggested to discuss the membership of the HNB sub-group to the Headteachers Consultative Forum.

A members noted that in their view the terms of reference did not reflect the HNB underspend enough, which was the route of concern of the Forum in the run-up to commissioning a sub-group. The purpose of the sub-group needed to be clean in that money should reach children in need. In response, officers stated that the first session would set out the funding position and discuss how to use the surplus.

RESOLVED -

THAT Schools Forum agree the terms of reference.

Report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation.

Camden Council reported to Schools Forum in February 2023 concerning the development of the School Meals contract.

This paper sets out the Council’s current position with regard to the future of school meals delivery and the range of options available to the Council.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation.

The Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation introduced the report which set out the Council’s current position with regard to the future of school meals delivery and the range of options available to the Council. The main details of the report were within the Part II appendix due to the sensitivity of the negotiation and business affairs.

The Forum passed the following resolution to enter private session at 6.45pm:

RESOLVED –

THAT the press and public be excluded from the proceedings of the Schools Forum during consideration of the respective item on the agenda on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that were members of the public to be present, there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Specifically - Publicity in respect of item 11 would be likely to lead to the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information) in accordance with paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Part II

Officers outlined the Council’s current position on the schools’ meals delivery contract options and the Forum commented and asked questions of clarification of future options.

Part I

The meeting returned to public session at 7.00pm.

RESOLVED -

THAT Schools Forum note the current position and the timeline of activity over the next period, as set out in the Part I report and Part II appendix.

To note all Schools Forum meeting dates for academic year 2023/24, that will take place at 6.00pm on:

-       13 September 2023

-       1 November 202

-       5 December 2023

-       6 February 2024

-       4 June 2024

Thefollowing meetingdates forthe 2023-24 academicyear werenoted:

-                      1November 2023

-                      5December 2023

-                      6February 2024

-         4June 2024

There was no urgent business.