Report Of: Anil Nayyar, Head of City Finance, Directorate for People (Education)

Report to: Schools Forum

Date: 10 December 2015

Report of: Anil Nayyar, Head of City Finance, Directorate for People (Education)

Title: Treatment of De-Delegated and Centrally Managed Services in the Schools Block

Status: For Decision following Original submission at November’s meeting of School Forum

1. Introduction

The 2013-14 reforms significantly reduced the number of centrally held budgets within the Schools Block. There are two groups that central services now fit into:-

.De-delegated. These are budgets for prescribed activities/commitments that have to be delegated through the mainstream Reception to Year 11 formula, but for which the LA can propose ‘de-delegation’ for maintained primary and secondary schools – in effect hold and manage centrally. For 2016/17 the LA is continuing to propose ‘de delegation’ for 4 areas of commitments.

.Centrally Retained Services. These can be centrally retained before allocating the formula, with the agreement of Schools Forum. A number of these services are subject to a limitation of no new commitments or increases in expenditure from 2014-15.

Following presentation of this paper and supporting appendices at the November meeting a query was raised on School Admissions about cost and how many LA’s funded admissions from DSG. . A subsequent report was prepared, circulated to School Forum members and presented to the Technical Funding group on the 27th November 2015. Feedback from the Technical group was positive in that they felt the query had been addressed. This report is therefore now seeking relevant approval as set out below.

2. De – delegated Services

The agreed position for 2015/16 is set out in Appendix 1 together with the proposals for 2016/17 (shaded in yellow). De- delegation is not an option for Nursery Schools, Special Schools, PRUs or Academies. Their proportion of the budget is already delegated. .

It is to be noted that for each proposed area for de delegation, it is for the Schools Forum members in the relevant phase (primary or secondary) to decide whether that service should be provided centrally. The decision would apply to all maintained mainstream schools in that phase and result in the funding for these services being removed from the formula before school budgets were issued. There could be different decisions made for each phase. BCC will, therefore, need to discuss with Forum members representing maintained primary

of 2 and secondary schools only, as to whether they agree to the 4 proposed areas for ‘de- delegation’. There is a supplementary update on Facility Time attached as Appendix 5.

3. Centrally Retained Services

Appendix 2 sets out the remaining budgets that are retained centrally for 2015/16 and BCC’s proposals for 2016/17. Supplementary information on School Improvement is provided on Appendices 3 and 4.

4. Recommendations

4.1 For Primary and Secondary representatives on School Forum to agree the de delegated budgets (Appendix 1) for their respective phases

4.2 For whole School Forum to agree the Centrally retained budgets as per Appendix 2