Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

That Gavin Booth be elected (unopposed) as Chairman of the Lincolnshire Schools' Forum for 2021/22.

GAVIN BOOTH IN THE CHAIR

That Josh Greaves be elected (unopposed) as Vice-Chairman of the Lincolnshire Schools' Forum for 2021/22.

Apologies for absence were received from Rachel Barrett FCCA (Governor, North Kesteven Academy), Paul Thompson (Faith Group Representative) and Sarah Wilson (Executive Principal, Stamford Welland Academy).

An apology for absence was also received from Geraldine O'Neill (Sustainability Development Manager).

There were no declarations of members' interest made at this stage of the proceedings.

RESOLVED

That the Minutes of the Lincolnshire Schools' Forum meeting held on 22 April 2021 be agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman, following recent elections, welcomed back Professor Ken Durrands OBE as a Secondary Academy governor; and Jo Slesser to her first LSF meeting as a Secondary Academy governor representative. He advised the Forum that it currently had four vacancies.  An election would be held in due course to recruit to the vacancies.

(To receive a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance – Children's Services, which asks the Forum to consider and comment on the revised Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Constitution and Membership)

The Forum received a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance – Children's Services, on the revised Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Constitution and Membership on which comments were invited.

As a result of changes introduced by Section 35 of the School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2021 and the revised version of the Guidance issued March 2021, a review had taken place of the current Terms of Reference.  The current Terms of Reference and the proposed revised version had been included in the report.

To ensure that the Schools' Forum operated in accordance with legislation and Guidance the Schools' Forum was asked to endorse the revised document as shown at Appendix B for recommendation to the Executive Councillor for Children's Services who was responsible for the final decision.

The revised Terms of Reference comprised of seven sections:

1.      Constitution introduction indicating the statutory origins of the Forum and the regulations governing its operations.  This included revisions to refer to the School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2021 which by virtue of Regulation 35 permitted meetings of the Forum to continue to take place on a virtual basis; notwithstanding that emergency Covid-19 arrangements permitting this for all local authority meetings had otherwise now ceased to have effect.

2.      Purpose and Role.  A new section and Appendix briefly describing the overall purpose and role of the Forum.

3.      The Functions of the Forum.  A re-written section and the creation of an Appendix setting out the decision-making powers of the Forum and those matters it was entitled to be consulted on as reflected current legislation and the Guidance.

4.      Composition.  A revised section explaining membership requirements and reflecting the principle explained in the Guidance that non-school members may only constitute 1/3 of the Forum total membership.  Also the requirement that Membership would be reviewed annually in June to ensure it was fully representative of different school sectors and in proportion to the number of children allocated to each sector.  Subsequent paragraphs then explained the membership nomination and election basis for school members (both maintained schools and academy schools) and non-school members.

5.      Conduct of Meetings.  This section was largely unchanged, other than to indicate that meetings may be held by remote means.

6.      Voting arrangements.  Paragraphs (a) to (c) were re-written to reflect current requirements explained in the Guidance.

7.      Administration of the Forum. Unchanged, save to indicate that meetings may be held at times to be agreed, rather than stipulating only 2pm.

The Chairman suggested that views from the Forum should be sought on preferences for how meetings were held going forwards.  At present meetings were being held via Teams however, the Council Chamber at the County Council was now able to offer face to face meetings and also a hybrid of face to face and Teams.  It was suggested that it may be worth considering whether a face to face meeting should be held for those meetings which considered reports which involved the more challenging decisions.

Dr Stephen Hopkins reported  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

(To receive a report from Elizabeth Bowes, Strategic Finance Manager, Schools Finance Team, which provides the Forum with a copy of the Section 251 (s.251) budget statement for the 2021/22 financial year)

The Forum received a report from Elizabeth Bowes, Strategic Finance Manager, Schools Finance Team, on the Section 251 (s.251) budget statement for the 2021/22 financial year.

Local Authorities (LAs) were required under s.251 of the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to prepare and submit an education and children’s social care budget statement for the relevant period to the Secretary of State for Education by 30 April each year.  The s.251 return was intended to provide a clear picture of the LAs planned spending on its schools budget, de-delegated items, high needs budget, early years budget, central provision within the schools budget and children’s and young people’s services. The LAs s.251 budget statement and the Department for Education's (DfE's) benchmarking data that was published later in the year should assist the Schools Forum’s consideration of budget levels across the activity headings.

The report included a copy of Local Authority Table 2021/22 which provided an overall picture of the funding being allocated direct to schools and high needs delegations; the amount being spent on education centrally and children’s social care.  The total Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2021/22 was £646.900m.  The Forum was advised that within the Schools block, 99.8% of funding was devolved to schools, the remaining 1.2% related to the Growth budget.  The Early Years block was allocated to the sector based on participation levels, it was anticipated the 96.34% of the block would be allocated to the Early Years sector by the end of the financial year.  It was noted that within the High Needs block 74.19% was earmarked to be devolved to Lincolnshire schools, colleges and Early Years for pupils who required additional support.  Looking at the DSG in its entirety 97.1% was directly allocated to schools and academies with the remaining 2.9% being used to support statutory services.

(Catherine Stratton (Head Teacher, Saxilby Church of England Primary School) and Simon Pickett (Head Master, The King's School, Granthan) joined the meeting at this point)

Following a question from Martin Kyle on the publication of the Lincolnshire Schools' budget and current figure for targeted funding, Mark Popplewell confirmed that budgets had been published in February using the latest datasets and that those budgets impacted by demand, assumptions had been made to budget for the increased costs.  For targeted funding £1.097m had been built into the budget to accommodate increased spending from growth in the number of Education, Health and Care plans, which would result in new schools receiving targeted funding and existing schools receiving increased allocations.  This was the difference between schools published information and the final budget figures included in the report.

Following a question from Amy Stancer, Elizabeth Bowes undertook to provide a further breakdown of paragraph 1.2.5, regarding support services in early years.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(To receive a report from Sheridan Dodsworth, Children's Services Manager, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, which provides the Forum with an annual update on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as required by the Schools' Forum Regulations)

The Forum received a comprehensive annual update report from Sheridan Dodsworth, Children's Services Manager, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as required by the Schools' Forum Regulations.  The report covered: An update on SEND activity both nationally and within the county; An overview of the high needs costs illustrating increasing pressures on the High Needs Budget; An update on the transformation work that was taking place in Lincolnshire; An overview of the capital programme for Special Schools; and A brief update on activity to support families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report noted that the high needs budget was undoubtedly under significant pressure but there was a continued commitment to ensure that the financial resources available were being effectively deployed to realise improved outcomes for children and young people with additional needs.  Whilst Lincolnshire remained above the national average in terms of the numbers of children identified with special educational needs and disabilities, there were early signs of a change in practice that moved away from a reliance on statutory plans but built on the inclusive practice that many Lincolnshire schools adopt.  The Forum noted that there was further work to be done to embed a strengths-basedapproach to working with pupils with SEND, and their families, but the early indications suggested that the transformation programme could make the difference to ensure that Lincolnshire met the needs of pupils and balanced the budget also.

During discussion, the Forum raised the following points:

·       It was noted that the differentiation in SEN data between Local Maintained Schools and Academy Trusts would be helpful in future reports.  It was confirmed that the process and funding were the same for these bodies.

·       There was concern about whether the existing high needs budget was sufficient and whether there was a need for a review to determine whether it could be increased.  It was thought that more than the 0.5% transfer permitted from the Schools block to the High Needs block would be required. In response it was reported that high needs funding was a challenge nationwide.  The Forum was advised government SEND reviews were awaited which would address the SEN framework and overall SEN funding.  Locally the County Council was doing everything it could to keep within current funding, but with its many variables and uncertainty of future funding levels, the financial position would continue to be kept under review, and options and recommendations would come from that.

(Tony Warnock gave his apologies and left the meeting at this point)

·       It was noted that there were deficits in many local authorities and that the County Council was in a better position than most.  It was reported that collaboration between the Council and schools was vital to achieve a sustainable budget.  Any extra funding over the 0.5% would require approval of the Secretary of State. 

Martin Kyle read out a letter from a group of Lincoln City Maintained and Academy School Headteachers who represented 14 schools and in the care  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

(To receive a report from Geraldine O'Neill, Sustainability and Development Manager, which provides the Forum with an update on the delivery of services to support early years and childcare provision across Lincolnshire and outlines the priorities for the Early Years and Childcare Support Services for 2021/22)

The Forum received a report from Nicky Myers, Interim Head of Service Early Years and Childcare Support, in place of the Sustainability and Development Manager, on an update on the delivery of services to support early years and childcare provision across Lincolnshire and outlined the priorities for the Early Years and Childcare Support Services for 2021/22. The Forum was asked to consider and note the content of the report and agree the priorities for the Early Years and Childcare Support Service for 2021-22.

The report mentioned that as the government restrictions changed work was being undertaken towards the wider priorities of the Corporate Plan, the following key priorities had been identified for the Early Years and Childcare Support Service in 2021-22:

1.      Provide sufficient, high quality and inclusive education places locally.

2.      Ensure eligible children aged 2, 3, and 4 years old were able to access their Early Years Entitlement place in high quality inclusive provision.

3.      Deliver quality children centres, which were at the heart of our communities supporting families so their children thrive, through working with key partners and communities

4.      Ensure fit for purpose, appropriate services were available for families to narrow the achievement gap, so all children thrive and achieve their potential.

5.      Promote and support providers to understand the new Ofsted inspection framework across the early years and childcare sector.

6.      Engage providers, schools, academies and partners in a sector led improvement approach to embed effective transition arrangements to better prepare children for school.

7.      Design and deliver a good quality early years training and development programme focussing on the statutory requirements and the implementation of the new Early Years Foundation Stage.

During discussion, the following points were raised:

·       Children's centres had remained open during the Covid-19 pandemic. Places were on a bookable basis and numbers due to social distancing had been reduced. Non mobile babies had been prioritised. Demand was now increasing and as many sessions were being put on as possible.

·       The Interim Head of Service undertook to report back on the background to the decision made on the provision of new framework training. The Government had suggested that this would be delivered by other partners   The Forum was advised that training was subsidised for the sector and approved annually by the Schools' Forum at the January meeting.

RESOLVED

1)      That the report be noted.

2)      That the key priorities for the Early Years and Childcare Support Service in 2021-22 as outlined in the report and above be approved.

(To receive a report from Mary Meredith, Head of Inclusion, which provides the Forum with an overview of Lincolnshire's current and future alternative provision arrangements)

The Forum received an overview report from Mary Meredith, Head of Inclusion, on Lincolnshire's current and future alternative provision arrangements.The report included a table showing a Permanent Exclusion Comparison from 2016 to 2020/21 by School Type.

(Julia Merivale gave her apologies and left the meeting at this point).

The Schools Forum had supported the LAs decision to commission the Behaviour Outreach Support Service (BOSS) and Alternative Provision (AP) places which had been made available to schools for pupils at risk of permanent exclusion, should the BOSS intervention prove insufficient.  With a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) the earliest intervention (and protecting the capacity of BOSS) this was in essence Lincolnshire's 'Behaviour Ladder'.  The steps of the Ladder had been embedded county-wide over the past five years.  A key risk was managing the capacity of commissioned places so that the LA could deliver its statutory duty whilst opening up a second (non-statutory) route, via intervention placement, into AP. If the rate of permanent exclusion did not reduce, this would not have been possible (without costly expansion).  The ongoing challenge was to ensure that the rate of permanent exclusion did not increase to the extent that the behaviour Ladder could no longer function because AP places were entirely occupied by permanently excluded pupils.

It was noted that whilst the lockdown had clearly had a significant impact on the number of pupils permanently excluded, the 2019/20 rate of permanent exclusions from secondary schools was significantly lower than in previous years.  Most permanent exclusions were for persistent disruptive behaviour.  The majority of AP learners had been referred via the Ladder rather than permanently excluded. However, what the reduced rate of permanent exclusion from all sectors did strongly suggest was that inclusive practice in Lincolnshire was strengthening and that the AP arrangements were a key driver of that.  With regards to this, Lincolnshire was confounding a national trend of increased exclusions and this reflected very positively indeed upon the sector.

·       Liaison with multiple local authorities on cases was very difficult and challenging.

·       There was a migration of troubled youngsters as some schools divested themselves of these challenges.

·       There was pressure to accept troubled youngsters and looked after children from other schools

·       The referral team were thanked for their support and hard work

·       School staff were becoming more accustomed to dealing with troubled youngsters and in considering alternative interventions. It was suggested that consideration could be given to promoting best practice and whether BOSS could be by passed. It was suggested that Boss was evolving and was able to take into account best practice changes so there was the potential to lose out on this function if it were to be by passed.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(Elizabeth Bowes left the meeting).

(To receive a report from John O'Connor, Children's Service Manager, Education Support, which provides the Forum with information on the latest number of academies and pupils in academies, and academy trusts)

The Forum received a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance - Children's Services, on the latest number of academies and pupils in academies, and academy trusts.

Since the last report, Friskney All Saints Church of England (Aided) Primary School had joined Lincoln Anglican Academies Trust as a converter academy on 1 May.  This meant that 28,813 (51.7%) FTE primary pupils were now educated in academy schools.  Horncastle Community Primary School was proposing to join Wellspring Academy Trust and Gedney Church End Primary School and Lutton St Nicholas Primary School were proposing to join Keystone Academy Trust.  All these conversions were scheduled to happen on 1 September 2021.  Therefore, on known information, the total number of all academies would rise to 189 (51.8%), and 76,759 (72.3%) FTE pupils would attend those academies.  The number of primary academies would rise to 117 (41.6%) educating 29,430 (52. 8%) FTE pupils.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(This item provides the Forum with an opportunity to discuss potential items for future meetings, which will be subsequently included in the Work Programme)

Consideration was given to the future work programme of the Forum.

RESOLVED

1)      That the work programme as presented be noted.

2)      That The Department for Education publication on the self-assessment checklist as discussed in agenda item 7 (Constitution and Membership) be added to the next agenda.