Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance, Children's Services, which seeks approval from the maintained primary school representatives' of the Forum to the Local Authority's (LA) proposals for the de-delegation of certain budgets in 2020/21 and 2020/22)   

The Forum gave consideration to a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance, Children's Services, which sought approval from the maintained primary school representatives to the Local Authority's proposals for the de-delegation of certain budgets in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

The Forum was advised of the background of the de-delegation arrangements, and the National Funding Formula implementation which still allowed the de-delegation arrangements for maintained schools to continue.

The Forum was reminded that for 2018/19, maintained primary schools had agreed to de-delegate funding for:

·         Contingency – (termination of employment costs for schools in financial difficulty); and exceptional unforeseen costs; and

·         Ethnic Minority and Traveller Education Team.

It was highlighted that no funds had been de-delegated for maintained secondary schools.

The Forum were reminded that for 2019/20, the maintained primary school representatives had agreed at the June 2018 meeting the de-delegation services and budgets, and the final per pupil rates, had been determined using the October 2018 census, details of the current services were shown in Appendix A to the report.

The Forum was advised that for 2020/21 it was proposed that the existing charges would continue at the same per pupil rate as in 2019/20.  The pupil numbers for October 2019 were planned to be lower in primary maintained schools, as a result of a small number of academy conversions, and officers agreed that for 2021/22 de-delegation budgets would be fixed to respond to the reduction in maintained primary schools.

It was highlighted further that the proposed primary maintained de-delegation budgets were termination of employment costs; interim head teacher support; primary maintained intervention fund, and ethnic minority and traveller education team.

It was highlighted that the Schools' Forum maintained primary schools were required to agree de-delegations on an annual basis, however, the LA would continue to seek agreement in principle from the Forum for 2020/21 also.  It was highlighted further that the outcomes from the decisions made by maintained primary representatives on the Schools' Forum would be reflected in maintained primary schools' future budgets.

It was reported that the Forum would be informed of any LA changes to the support provided to Lincolnshire's most vulnerable maintained primary schools.

During discussion, the Forum raised the following points:-

·         Whether the level of the remaining de-delegated balance of £0.211m was acceptable.  Officers confirmed that this was an earmarked reserve for any de-delegation activities that exceeded budget requirements; due to the budgets being predominantly demand-led in nature.  A question was asked whether any amounts could be used for school intervention beyond that currently provided.  The Forum noted that the Lincolnshire Learning Partnership (LLP) benefitted from other monies; if however, there was a project that could demonstrate need then the LA could consider this proposal including the appropriate funding source.  It was highlighted that any request would be managed in a planned and co-ordinated way.  The Forum noted further that the de-delegation reserve was one-off monies.

RESOLVED

That the maintained primary school representatives of the Lincolnshire Schools' Forum voted to approve the proposals for de-delegation of the budgets for the period 2020/21 and 2021/22 (in principle), as set out on page 34 of the report presented.