Schools Forum Minutes

18th October 2017

Northgate House, Warwick, 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Present:

School Members Jane Burrows (Chair) Peter Reaney (Vice Chair) Rugby High School (Governor) Leah Adams Northlands School Sue Casey Kenilworth School (Governor) Trevor Wright Nuneaton Academy (Governor) Nick Wylie Cubbington Primary School (Governor) Rebecca Harrison Thorns and Park Hill (Governor) Clive Sentence Matthew Bown St Paul’s Leamington Spa David Morse Stratford Girls Grammar School Martin Davis Telford Junior School Philip Johnson Whitestone Infants Charlotte Marten Rugby High School Christine Marshall Exhall Grange Special School Cathy Bignold Representative for Atherstone and Bedworth Nursery Schools

Non-School Members Sue Henson PVI Sybil Hanson Church of England Diocese Laura Kisby Teachers Union

Officers/Observers Cllr Hayfield Cabinet, WCC Diana Spragg Senior Officer Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency and Business Support Elaine Lister Principal Accountant, Schools Funding and Strategy, WCC Sarah Mills Service Manager, Access and Organisation, WCC Chris Malone Head of Education & Learning Liz Firmstone Strategic Finance Manager, WCC Virginia Rennie Strategic Finance Manager, WCC Neill Butler Schools Strategy Finance Manager Bern Timings School Organisation Planning Manager, WCC Thomas Allen Project Support Officer (Education), WCC Helen Colvin (minutes) Business Support Officer, WCC

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Apologies:

Chris Atkins Chetwynd Junior Amanda King Atherstone and Bedworth Nursery Schools Rachel Gillett Atherstone and Bedworth Nursery Schools Julie Forshew Nathaniel Newton Infant School Sarah Sheepy Coten End Primary Simon Lomax Wendie Aspinall Dunchurch Boughton CofE Junior School Adam Hardy Catholic Arch Diocese of Birmingham John Betts Head of Finance, WCC

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1. Introduction of new Forum members and election of Vice Chair

Chris Malone, Virginia Rennie and Neill Butler were welcomed to the meeting and introductions made.

The Election of the Vice Chair took place. There was one nomination - Peter Reaney was nominated and elected as Vice Chair.

2. Minutes of Last Meeting & Matters Arising

Minutes of the previous meeting approved as a true record. One amendment is to be made to the wording of the second paragraph.

Actions:  ‘Review election process to include more information: Mahendra to incorporate for next election’ – This will be taken forward prior to the next election.

 ‘Vacant positions to be filled: Mahendra to progress’ – To be addressed in Item 3.

 ‘New Member induction: Mahendra to liaise with Governor Services’ – Neill Butler and Virginia Rennie will be taking this forward.

 ‘Draft sub groups Protocol: Mahendra’ – This is to be parked.

 ‘Term of reference to be amended for papers to be sent within 5 days of the meeting: Mahendra’ – Attempts will be made to share papers within 5-10 working days prior to the meeting.

 ‘The title “official” substitute be removed: Mahendra’ – This has been removed.

 ‘Financial implications of decision to be monitored as part of DSG reporting. Sarah Mills’ – John Edwards (Sarah Mill's interim successor) will pick up this action in future.

 ‘Authority to review and seek to freeze non-teaching increase in future’ – This is being actioned.

 ‘Potential Additional SF meeting and schedule: Chair and John Betts’ – To be addressed in Item 4.

3. Schools Forum Representatives

There are currently 2 vacancies; Secondary Maintained and Academy Governor. It was agreed that the Academy Governor vacancy needs to be filled but the representative does not need to be a Governor; all voted in favour of the Academy Governor position being changed to Academy Representative.

As there are only 2 maintained secondary schools, it is unlikely the role of Secondary Maintained representative will be filled. All agreed to open this role to either a Head

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Teacher or Governor.

Sue Henson raised the possibility of another PVI representative as it is a very large sector.

ACTION: 1. Terms of Reference to be reviewed in regards to adding another PVI representative: Chair/LA 2. Election process to be co-ordinated through WCC as previously for both open positions – but not to be held during half-term: Neill Butler / Helen Colvin

Matters for Information/Comment

4. National Funding Formula (NFF)

Modelling has not been undertaken at school level as LA is still awaiting information from DfE. Modelling will be completed once DfE and census data are received.

The potential to move from the schools block to the central block is 0.5%; approximately £1.5 million.

Warwickshire are ranked 93rd out of 140 LA’s in terms of gains resulting from the NFF (as opposed to the absolute funding number).

A question was raised as to whether schools will receive the minimum per pupil funding figure stated in the report, or if in fact the amount received will be lower. There should be no ‘winners or losers’. There is a 2 year interim period during which WCC doesn’t have to adopt the NFF, however the intention is to move to the NFF as soon as possible; WCC need the calculations first.

The Forum felt that the funding should be passported to schools as soon as possible and not changed by the LA so much that the money is distributed to schools by way of a complicated local formula.

The DfE will provide the information regarding the calculations behind the published allocations by the end of October. WCC will then replicate these calculations and the WCC proposal will then go out for consultation in mid-November with details going to schools and Schools Forum. Information will go to executives of WCC in mid- January. Schools Forum will need to approve whether to move 0.5% from the schools block to WCC in December and to make the DfE aware by Christmas if that is what is wanted.

All agreed an additional 2 item agenda Schools Forum meeting should be held in January to share feedback and seek final comments on proposed schools formula, and the Early Years formula review.

Clive Sentence raised that the rationale for capping disappears with the introductions of the formula and that this should be removed as soon as possible; capping

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penalises schools that are trying to resolve financial issues. The view was shared by other members of the Forum.

Members requested a league table based on anticipated future funding rather than just projected changes in funding.

ACTION: 1. Additional Schools Forum meeting to be arranged for January: LA 2. League table based on anticipated future funding rather than projected changes in funding to be produced: Neill Butler 3. Name of F40 representative for WCC to be shared: Chair 4. LA to launch a consultation to schools / schools forum on the proposed methodology for the allocation of the 2018/19 funding in mid- November: LA

5. Academy Conversions

32% of schools have converted into Academies, with a further 16 schools scheduled to turn Academy.

River House School is now called Arden Fields and is a primary school.

Bilton School has now joined with Southam College as part of the Stone Valley Trust.

6. LA MAT/Early Years Funding Formula

LA MAT Chris Malone read out the statement on the current position and thanked the schools involved. WCC will not be following the LA Mat at this time; a paper will be shared at Cabinet in December recommending the project is not pursued.

Early Years Funding Formula WCC has a low rate; the work to set the rate was very time-constrained last year. Members were asked to put themselves forward to set up a new Working Group to properly work on this for next year. Feedback from this should be shared at the January Schools Forum meeting for implementation in 2018. PVI and Maintained representatives volunteered and will arrange additional representatives with Diana Spragg.

ACTION: Early Years Working Group to be set up and provide feedback at January meeting: Diana Spragg / Neill Butler

Chris Malone has commissioned work to understand what the 7% (5%) is being used to fund; Liz Firmstone and Becky Robinson will support this.

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7. Methodology for Pupil Projections

Bern Timings introduced the paper and answered questions on the number of school places available as a result of new housing, the removal of half-form entries and the amalgamation of infant and junior schools.

Special Needs school places are worked out using historical data applied to new housing developments; 2% for secondary schools and 3% for primary schools. WCC has a high success rate for local children attending local schools; for example, 95% of children in Polesworth attend a Polesworth school. WCC have never had a child not offered a school place within .

Bern Timings offered to visit schools should they request an explanation of the figures.

8. WCC Process and Co-ordination of Admissions

Sarah Mills shared the report which gave clarity on what the LA does for all schools, and what academies can opt out of or buy into. It was highlighted that Free Schools are not required to fit into the co-ordination during their first year of opening, as free schools can open at any time during the school year. However, most schools, including free schools, do buy into the service.

9. DSG 2017/18 Forecast

There has been an increase in the overall DSG funding. Internal adjustments affect centrally managed DSG.

Section 5.3, paragraph 1 will be brought back to the next meeting as a reliable figure will be shared at the end of October.

ACTION: Section 5.3, paragraph 1 to be reviewed at December meeting.

SEN post-16 overspend was queried by members; Liz Firmstone shared that there had been an oversight, had this been realised either the HN and EY contingency budgets would have been used or a discussion on setting a deficit budget as in 2016/17.

Early Years underspend is likely to materialise as initial indications are that additional 15 hours take-up is strong. The Chair raised why it wasn’t forecast that this would be spent.

10. Forward Plan

Additional January meeting to be arranged.

ACTION: Forward plan to include additional January meeting: Helen Colvin

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11. Chair’s Business

ACTION: Chair to find out details of WCC F40 representative.

Jane Burrows reminded schools to be aware of a large change to the GDP regulations as of 25 May 2018, in regards to data protection. A fine will be issued to non-compliant schools.

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