Agenda and minutes

To be elected from amongst Forum members, excluding any member of the Forum who is an elected member or officer of the authority (2 year appointment - until the autumn term meeting 2020).

DECISION: that Maria Wallis and Faith Butler be elected Chair and Vice-Chair respectively until the autumn term meeting 2020 (2 years).

Minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2018 attached.

DECISION:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2018  be signed as a correct record.

Items which in the opinion of the Chairman should be considered at the meeting as matters of urgency.

There was no item raised as a matter of urgency

To consider any matters arising from the last meeting where no otherwise covered on this agenda and to report on items considered at the Cabinet.

DISCUSSION:

The Chair congratulated Councillor James McInnes on becoming the Chair of the f40 Group which represented 41 English local authorities with historically low funding for education.

DISCUSSION:

The Chairman welcomed new members and the following membership changes were noted:-

Paul Walker – Primary academy full member (instead of substitute member)

Sarah Pickering – Special School Headteacher (instead of substitute member)

Mike Gurney – TCC (formerly served on DEF) and  

Rob Gasson – Alternative  Provision

Nicky Dunford, Rachel Shaw - Primary academy substitute member

Sammy Crook – Secondary maintained substitute member.

DECISION:

That the Forum’s appreciation be conveyed to Bev Alderson who was the TCC member until this summer 2018, for her support and commitment to DEF.

ACTION:

County Solicitor (Fiona Rutley)  

Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services & Learning and County Treasurer (DEF/18/08) attached.

DISCUSSION:

The Forum considered the report of the Head of Education & Learning and County Treasurer (DEF/18/08) and received a note circulated at the meeting from the County Treasurer on the current Month 6 forecast which included a breakdown and figures in relation to management action taken.

The Forum also noted the respective minutes of the Schools Finance Group (SFG) of

7 November 2018 and The School Organisation, Capital and Admissions Forum of 25 September 2018.

The Report covered the Month 6 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budget monitoring position.

Points highlighted at the meeting were:-

·         Review of Independent School placement for Adults in their 3^rd - 5^th year of post 16 education: a request to clarify interpretation of the Regulations regarding whether the deficit (£2,473,000) should be treated as a carry forward to 2019/2020 in the High Needs Block (N.B. clarfication from the Treasurer is appended to these Minutes); 

·         the EHCP costs did not relate to employee costs and budget pressures had built up over several years as a result in demand led pressures and reducing budgets;

·         the need for continued political pressure for allocation of additional resources, noting the active campaigning by the f40 Group led by its new Chair, Councillor McInnes;

·         the recent visit to Devon by the Secretary of State for Education when he had listened to representations from the Cabinet Lead for Children’s Services and as Chair of the f40 Group, the Chair of DEF and other DEF Members and senior Local Authority Officers;

·         attendance by the f40 Chair at the Manchester Conference when the case for fair funding was strongly put which appeared to be acknowledged by Ministers, especially in terms of the High Needs Block and the need to press the case with Treasury Ministers in a detailed and evidence-based manner to highlight the recent impact with a decline in KS4  performance in Devon; and

.

·         the high costs of Independent School Placements and the need for early planning to alleviate cost pressures and difficulties in effective strategic planning attributable, in part, to  the Free School programme.     

DECISION: that the Month 6 DSG budget monitoring position be noted, and that confirmation of the position be sought from the Treasurer regarding the first bullet point above (clarification appended to the Minutes).

ACTION: 

County Treasurer (Adrian Fox)

Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services and County Treasurer (DEF/18/09) attached.  The Devon Consultation document is also available for information at

 https://new.devon.gov.uk/supportforschools/finance/consultations

DISCUSSION:

The Forum considered the report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services and County Treasurer (DEF/18/09) on Schools Funding and Devon’s consultation with schools during the autumn term 2018.

Members’ and Officers’ discussion included: -

·         the need for per pupil/capita information and not just global figures, and the Forum noted that this data was available from the Schools Budget Calculator; SFG had been provided at the September meeting with information for the options and all schools could see data across Devon via the School Budget Share Calculator;

·         regular monthly updates would be produced for the SFG meetings and an additional meeting in July would also be programmed and an explanation had been provided prior to the cancellation of the SFG meeting;

·         the operational guidance was fully understood by the relevant officers [N.B. the County Council was confident that it delivered provision in line with the guidance, as referred to in Minute 90];

·         the DEF and the County Council recognised the rising costs of services to and within Schools;   

·         the detrimental impact if the proposed 0.5% transfer from the DSG Schools Block to the High Needs Block, noting the pressures in both areas, the limited benefit the transfer would have for children with special needs, the work done presently by schools to support children with special needs which would be adversely affected by any decrease in funding and recognising that it would be for one year only; and

·         that in light of the vote taken at (a) (ii) below Officers would be meeting with the Cabinet Lead on 26 November 2018 before making a submission to the Secretary of State (by 30 November) and that meeting would be fully cognisant of the unanimous vote taken by the Forum at this meeting.  

DECISION:

(a) that Cabinet be recommended (in respect of the proposals for the 2019-20 schools revenue funding formula (as set out in section 1 of report DEF/18/09): -

(i) that the formula factors for distributing the funding to schools be approved, in that, the Minimum Funding Guarantee be set at 0% and the Minimum Funding Level be maintained at 2018-19 funding levels. (Note that the final funding rates may change subject to affordability when the October 2018 pupil data and Schools Block DSG settlement is confirmed in late December 2018;

(Vote: Schools, Academies and PVI members)

(ii) that the transfer of 0.5% to the High Needs Block be NOT approved, [despite the response to question one (as set out in section 1 of report DEF/18/09) and the continued funding pressures within the block];

(Vote: Schools, Academies and PVI members)

(iii) that in view of the Vote taken at (ii) above, the School’s Forum agree Option B as it recognises the schools views to maintain a 0% MFG with the understanding that if the authority received additional growth funding from the new methodology from the DfE that it is revised to Option C (as detailed in the Report DEF/18/09);

(b) that the de-delegation or delegation proposals for maintained primary  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

Head of Education & Learning to present an update. 

Report of the Head of Education & Learning on Attainment (DEF/18/11) also attached.

DISCUSSION:

The Forum received the Education and Learning 2017/18 Initial Attainment Report which covered an overview of attainment from the Foundation Stage to Post 16 and details within each stage. The Head of Education and Learning would present the findings and trends in detail to a future meeting. The data remained subject to validation by the DfE.

The Forum noted that this year Devon had seen a drop-in progress at Key Stage 4 and this had resulted in performance falling just below the National averages and Devon’s statistical neighbours. 

ACTION:

Head of Education & Learning (Dawn Stabb)

Report of the Head of Education & Learning (DEF/18/10), together with the Annual Exclusions Report 2017/18 (also to be presented to the Children’s Scrutiny Committee) attached.

DISCUSSION:

The Forum received the report of the Head of Education & Learning (DEF/18/10), together with the Annual Exclusions Report 2017/18 (also presented to the Children’s Scrutiny Committee on 19 November 2018).           

The Inclusion Project was a collaborative approach with Devon Schools to reduce the number of: -

-fixed term and permanent exclusions;

-pupils out of school on reduced timetables; and                   

-pupils missing school due to medical needs.

The Head of Education and Learning and Members’ comments included: -

-the ongoing work to identify children missing school due to medical needs and request by the Forum for more information relating to the number/identity of the Schools affected;

- the number of exclusions was declining, however there was an increase in Parents appealing to the Independent Review Panel whose fees to Schools had increased; and 

- the number of Free School Meal entitlement had decreased significantly and the reasons for this was being investigated by the Local Authority and the Forum Members were asked to use their influence to increase awareness amongst parents of their entitlement (as part of the LA campaign) as this had a direct impact on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and the High Needs Block.

To review action for the Forum from its groups and to receive minutes:-

(a) Schools’ Finance Group

Minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2018, attached.

Also available at 

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/school-information/devon-education-forum/schools-finance-group

(b) School Organisation, Capital and Admissions Forum

Minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2018, attached.

Also available at

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/school-information/devon-education-forum/school-organisation-capital-and-admissions-group-soca

The Forum received the following minutes of its standing groups:-

(a) Schools’ Finance Group (SFG)

Minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2018 (considered under Finance Update minute and Schools funding Consultation minute above.)

(b) School Organisation, Capital and Admissions (SOCA)

Minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2018.  

Meetings to be held at County Hall, Exeter, at 10am (unless otherwise specified):-

Wed 23 January 2019

Wed 20 March 2019

Wed 19 June 2019

Wed 20 Nov 2019

Wed 22 January 2020

Wed 18 March 2020.  

https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1

Meetings to be held at County Hall, Exeter, at 10am (unless otherwise specified):-

Wed 23 January 2019

Wed 20 March 2019

Wed 19 June 2019

Wed 20 Nov 2019

Wed 22 January 2020

Wed 18 March 2020.  

https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1