Agenda and minutes

Venue: virtual Meeting via MS Teams

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

Link: Link to meeting

Items
No. Item

20.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 275 KB

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2022, attached.

Minutes:

The Forum agreed and noted the minutes of the meeting 19 January 2022.

21.

Standing Item: LA Update on DFE/ESFA Funding Announcements pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Report providing an update on national financial announcements.

Minutes:

The forum received and noted the briefing papers detailing any updates in relation to Department for Education and Skills Funding Agency funding.

 

Noting :

·  Confirmation that the DFE/ESFA had approved budget share agreed at January’s Schools Forum;

·  The information: teachers’ pay grant (TPG) and teachers’ pensions employer contribution grant (TPECG) - arrangements for 16 to 19 and early years from April 2022;

·  Coronavirus (COVID-19) no recourse to public funds concession had been extended, and noted that schools were able to update their free school meals submission  until the deadline of  1 April 2022;

·  The Information on coronavirus (COVID-19) workforce fund extension to Easter for support with the costs of staff absences in schools and colleges;

·  That coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine support allocations now available for ages 12 to 15; and

·   Schools supplementary grant 2022 to 2023 to provide support for additional costs of the Health and Social Care Levy.

 

In addition it was noted that the DFE will publish final school allocations for the 2022/23 Schools Supplementary Grant in May 2022, alongside a Conditions of Grant document and that there is a funding calculator that could help schools’ budget planning by providing an indication of the funding but this doesn’t confirm or guarantee schools’ final allocations.

22.

An update on schools procurement pdf icon PDF 139 KB

Report setting out a  clarification on the schools procurement system in particular the roles and responsibilities of Head Teachers.

Minutes:

The Forum received and noted a briefing papers from the Council’s procurement team setting out an update on maintained schools responsibilities.

 

School’s obligations in respect of procurement activities are set out within the following documents which form part of the SCC Constitution and/or requirements for Schools to follow:

·  Scheme for Financing Schools – Scheme for Financing Schools (southampton.gov.uk)

·  Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs) – Council Constitution - Contract Procedure Rules (southampton.gov.uk)

·   Finance Procedure Rules (FPRs) – FINANCIAL PROCEDURE RULES (southampton.gov.uk)

 

Katie Renouard and Jane Habgood introduced the paper and in particular noted the financial thresholds and obligations for schools set out in paragraph 7 of the paper.  The Forum noted that these rules applied to maintained schools only.

 

It was noted that the Procurement Team is considering establishing a procurement support offering to schools, probably on a similar basis to other optional services provided by SCC..  However it was noted that officers would be happy to advise schools in the meantime.

 

23.

Update on Secondary School Expansion, Schools Capital Programme and Student Numbers pdf icon PDF 255 KB

Briefing the Forum  on year 7 student numbers for September 2022, secondary school expansion and Schools Capital Programme and Student Numbers

 

 

Minutes:

The Forum received a briefing from the Council’s Service Manager - Education Strategy, Planning and Improvement detailing the initial picture for secondary schools placement from September of 2022. 

 

It was noted that 96% of pupils were offered a preference school.  It was noted that the increased capacity with St Mark’s and St Anne’s schools had greatly helped.

 

The Forum were briefed on the numbers of offers for places outside the City and noted that this number had decreased as parents were increasingly choosing to send their children to Southampton schools.  In addition, it was noted that there had been an increase in the numbers of children being offered their parents 1st preference schools.

 

The Forum noted that all on-time applications had been offered a place.

 

The Forum were briefed on the future forecasts for demand on the school places noting that the potential numbers of students with the current forecasts.