Agenda and minutes

Contact: Schools Forum Administration  Email: SchoolsForum.Admin@southampton.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

20.

Welcome and Introductions

Welcome and Introductions by the Chair, John Draper

Minutes:

 

 

SCHOOLS FORUM

PLEASE NOTE TIME OF MEETING

Wednesday 25th November 2020

at 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm


Virtual Teams Conference



This meeting is open to the public

  LEAD OFFICER

  Derek Wiles
  Service Lead, Education
    

  Tel:   023 8083 4731

  Email: SchoolsForum.Admin@southampton.gov.uk

  CONTACT

  Meeting Support

  Tel:   023 8083 2557

  Email: SchoolsForum.Admin@southampton.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Attended:

Chair and Vice Chair

John Draper

Headteacher, Swaythling Primary School

Harry Kutty

Headteacher, Cantell School

Primary School Representatives

Amanda Talbot-Jones

Headteacher, St Deny’s Primary School

Peter Howard

Headteacher, Fairisle Junior School

Mike Adams

Headteacher, Bitterne Manor Primary School

Primary Governor

Richard Harris

Governor, Moorlands Primary School

Ross Williams

Governor, Mason Moor Primary School

Secondary School Representatives

James Henderson

Woodlands Community College

Special Schools Representatives

Maria Smith

Headteacher, Vermont School

Luisa Whittick

Headteacher, Compass School

Academy Representatives

James Rouse

Headteacher, St Anne’s Catholic School

Academy Governors

Martin Brown

Principal of Oasis Academy Sholing

Nursery Representatives

Anna Wright

Owner - Paint Pots Nursery

Non School Representatives

Rob Sanders

Diocesan Rep., Diocese of Winchester & Portsmouth

SCC Officers

Derek Wiles

Service Lead – Education

Nick Persson

Finance Business Partner for Education

Clodagh Freeston

Service Manager – Education Strategy, Planning and Improvement

Tammy Marks

Service Manager – Special Educational Needs and Disability, Children and Families

Cllr Lisa Mitchell

Councillor for Portswood Ward

Áine Rand

Meeting Support (minutes)

Observer

Mac McBride

Governor Banister Primary School

 

 

 

MINUTES

1

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

The Chair welcomed all to the meeting and the following apologies were in the item below:

 

21.

Apologies and Changes in Membership (if any)

Minutes:

Sean Preston

Chief Financial Officer, Hamwic Trust

Cllr Paffey

Councillor, Cabinet Minister Aspiration, School and Lifelong learning

 

 

Changes in membership

JD advised the forum of the following changes in membership.

·  Mike Adams was welcomed as the new Primary School Representative.

·  It was noted that Richard Harris was retiring after a long service with Schools Forum. RH reflected on his time as a member of Schools Forum and said it was a privilege to serve for the past 18 years. RH also welcomed Mac McBride as a new Primary Governor Representative.

JD extended his thanks to Richard Harris on behalf of Schools Forum and JD’s own personal thanks for RH’s service to Schools Forum as they have benefited from his expertise and determination to do the right thing for the children in Southampton. RH was wished a very happy retirement.

·  Mac McBride was welcomed to the forum, he was an observer tonight and will join as the new Primary Governor Representative at the next meeting on 9th December 2020.

 

 

22.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The minutes were noted as an accurate reflection of the previous meeting.

Action review from the previous meeting

·  Signed return of Code of Conduct and Declarations of Interest. There was a very good return on the Code of Conduct and many of the Declarations have been completed and returned.

The few Outstanding signed documents to be sent to Schools Forum Admin <SchoolsForum.Admin@southampton.gov.uk>

 

·  High Needs Deficit Working Party – On the Agenda

 

23.

Declarations of Interest

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011, and the Council’s Code of Conduct, Members to disclose any personal or pecuniary interests in any matter included on the agenda for this meeting.

 

NOTE:  Members are reminded that, where applicable, they must complete the appropriate form recording details of any such interests and hand it to the Democratic Support Officer.

Minutes:

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011, and the Council’s Code of Conduct, Members to disclose any personal or pecuniary interests in any matter included on the agenda for this meeting.

 

NOTE:  Members are reminded that, where applicable, they must complete the appropriate form recording details of any such interests and hand it to the Meeting Support Officer.

 

 

 

24.

Standing Item: LA Update on DFE/EFA Funding

Schools PFI Funding MFG Protection update for 2021/22: Voting Item

 

Minutes:

NP referred to the circulated paper outlining the LA update for Southampton.

He noted that SCC had not yet received the finalised DSG allocation for next year which will be updated to use October 2020 census data. This is due to be published in December. NP advised he was currently working on provisional figuresuntil the finalised data is received.

 

The forum were requested to vote on the APT modelling for next year’s schools funding to make a technical adjustment in the modelling to ensure the PFI schools see the full benefit from the MFG protection like every other school in respect of their PFI funding.  This technical adjustment was applied in previous years for PFI schools, and the protection of the PFI funding they receive. Without this adjustment the 3 affected PFI schools would be subject to capping and would potentially lose significant funding.

 

The modelling on the current numbers available required suggests this technical adjustment leads to a 0.17% loss on average to other school balances and academies. This would balance the model and fund the adjustment.

 

JD advised that the issues around the PFI funding were historic and the PFI part was previously paid by the council. Across the country there was an affordability gap when the council could no longer fund the PFI bill. The issue is that if it was included for their funding calculation, they could lose their minimum funding guarantee protection.  A way around this is for the PFI bill to be paid out of the schools block before it was distributed between the schools. To resolve this issue it is necessary for PFI charges to be protected from MFG capping as is the case for the treatment for Business Rates. It was tempting to think that with the 0.17% reduction in schools funding, that all schools payed a tiny bit towards the PFI bill. However, it was important to understand that that any schools with MFG protection cannot lose any money. It will be paid by those schools without MFG protection. 

 

The discussion was opened up to the forum.

 

JH recalled for the new members how Woodlands Community College, Redbridge Community School and Cantell School would have significantly felt the impact of the financial losses without the vote. JD pointed out that this was the same solution to the problem as in the previous 3 to 4 years.

 

RW questioned if the move to direct NFF from 2022, would mean this would be the last year this adjustment would be needed. NP advised that there were local anomalies across all LA’s with respect to setting a hard NFF and this was one of Southampton’s anomalies when constructing the APT modelling. There will be a DFE consultation on APT funding through the hard NFF. This issue will be discussed and consulted on although there was no guidance at present. The current local formula provides the Council with the ability to make a technical adjustment to the APT model to ensure that funding flowed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

25.

High Needs Deficit Working Party Update

Minutes:

NP referred to the work being done by the High Needs working party and noted that there will be a 2 week consultation to consider the proposal of a ½% transfer from schools to the High Needs block. The ½% of the funding is roughly £750K and the High Needs Service will send out a webinar with the consultation to explain the pressures they are under and to give an understanding of their issues.

 

TM clarified the consultation timeline;

·  The consultation will not have concluded by the Extraordinary Schools Forum meeting on 9th December 2020 although members will be updated and information collected at that point will be shared.

·  The High Needs working group were meeting on 30th November 2020. TM and Pippa Cook will present the proposed information going to schools to enable them to make a decision. It was thought that this needed to reach further than the working group to collate a range of feedback from schools. 

·  The High Needs service is creating a webinar to explain the pressures and issues they are facing. Alongside the webinar there will be a paper and a PowerPoint.

·  The results of the consultation will be brought back to the Schools Forum meeting on 20th January 2021 for discussion and decision.

 

JD noted that the timing was discussed and it was thought that the consultation could be further informed by outcomes of the extraordinary Schools Forum meeting that would feed into the wider consultation. He looks forward to hearing thoughts at the next meeting.

 

RH sought clarity regarding the SCC High Needs funding and Item 6 in the September 2020 minutes, where SCC were at the higher end of the growth funding from the government and it was his understanding was that by now there was no need to transfer more money to High Needs block. This was concerning as RH thought that SCC had been on generous side.

 

TM confirmed that they were at the higher end and it was representative of the gap between SCC and rest of country. The historical funding shortage had been significantly more than in other areas. The consultation documentation will show that the High Needs block are still at the lower end per pupil funding of pupils with high needs. As a result this does not correct the historic issues around the funding for high needs in Southampton.

 

26.

In Year Growth Funding for Schools

Minutes:

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011, and the Council’s Code of Conduct, Members to disclose any personal or pecuniary interests in any matter included on the agenda for this meeting.

 

NOTE:  Members are reminded that, where applicable, they must complete the appropriate form recording details of any such interests and hand it to the Meeting Support Officer.

 

 

 

STANDING ITEM: LA UPDATE ON DFE/EFA FUNDING(NP)

·  Paper for Information, discussion and Vote

 

NP referred to the circulated paper outlining the LA update for Southampton.

He noted that SCC had not yet received the finalised DSG allocation for next year which will be updated to use October 2020 census data. This is due to be published in December. NP advised he was currently working on provisional figuresuntil the finalised data is received.

 

The forum were requested to vote on the APT modelling for next year’s schools funding to make a technical adjustment in the modelling to ensure the PFI schools see the full benefit from the MFG protection like every other school in respect of their PFI funding.  This technical adjustment was applied in previous years for PFI schools, and the protection of the PFI funding they receive. Without this adjustment the 3 affected PFI schools would be subject to capping and would potentially lose significant funding.

 

The modelling on the current numbers available required suggests this technical adjustment leads to a 0.17% loss on average to other school balances and academies. This would balance the model and fund the adjustment.

 

JD advised that the issues around the PFI funding were historic and the PFI part was previously paid by the council. Across the country there was an affordability gap when the council could no longer fund the PFI bill. The issue is that if it was included for their funding calculation, they could lose their minimum funding guarantee protection.  A way around this is for the PFI bill to be paid out of the schools block before it was distributed between the schools. To resolve this issue it is necessary for PFI charges to be protected from MFG capping as is the case for the treatment for Business Rates. It was tempting to think that with the 0.17% reduction in schools funding, that all schools payed a tiny bit towards the PFI bill. However, it was important to understand that that any schools with MFG protection cannot lose any money. It will be paid by those schools without MFG protection. 

 

The discussion was opened up to the forum.

 

JH recalled for the new members how Woodlands Community College, Redbridge Community School and Cantell School would have significantly felt the impact of the financial losses without the vote. JD pointed out that this was the same solution to the problem as in the previous 3 to 4 years.

 

RW questioned if the move to direct NFF from 2022, would mean this would be the last year this adjustment would be needed. NP advised that there were local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

27.

AOB

CLOSING REMARKS AND DATE OF NEXT MEETING   

 

Day and Date:  Wednesday 9th December 2020

Time:  4:00pm start

Venue:  Microsoft Teams meeting and live streamed

 

Minutes:

Early Years SEND funding (AW)

JD invited AW to speak about the pressures on Early Years SEND funding. AW advised that she wanted to bring it to the attention of Schools Forum that Early Years part of childcare was underfunded and as a sector they felt the SEND part of their work was at crisis point. It was noted that settings were turning families away as they could not afford to have the children. 

 

JD advised that it was difficult as Schools Forum do not have power to influence the concern raised although it was important to be aware of the pressures that Early Years were up against.

 

AW’s concern was that if children do not have an Early Year’s experience it would impact on the schools.

 

TM noted a couple of cautions. It was suggested that firstly they get a group together to consider how to make adaptions to the way preschools were funded so that children were not being turned away. TM advised that children being turned away from Early Years settings contravenes the equality act and this cannot not happen. Children should have had access to Preschool before attending school.  Preschool settings are under the same duties as schools settings regarding the equality act.

 

The EHCP can only assess how a child copes in education once they are accessing education. There are children who are more obvious in their assessment needs and they are referred to assessment placements. Although they cannot pre-empt the child’s EHCP needs without an assessment.

 

TM noted that she was happy to look at how SCC can support preschool settings to have funding. TM advised that it was important to note that preschools were not allowed to reject children with SEN as this would lead to a legal action. TM advised that she and NP would be happy to work with them to better support the preschools and nursery’s position.

AW said that any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Dates for academic year 2020 / 21

·  Extraordinary meeting Wednesday 9th December 2020

·  Wednesday 20th January 2021

·  Wednesday 24th March 2021

·  Wednesday 23rd June 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLOSING REMARKS AND DATE OF NEXT MEETING   

 

Day and Date:  Wednesday 9th December 2020

Time:  3:45pm to check connectivity before going live for a

  4:00pm meeting start

Venue:  Microsoft Teams meeting and live streamed

 

JD thanked the members for their attendance and noted that it was a shorter break than usual as there was an Extraordinary Schools Forum meeting on Wednesday 9th December 2020 to hear back about the proposals for the High Needs Block.  Richard Harris was thanked again for his service over the years and wished a long and happy retirement.