People and Communities Strategic Schools Forum Wednesday 2nd October 2019 09:30am, Clevedon School Member Title P – Present S – Substitute A - Apologies ACADEMY REPRESENTATIVES - vote GARY LEWIS Academy CEO, Lighthouse Schools Partnership P CHRIS HILDREW Academy Headteacher, Churchill Academy & Sixth P Form WILLIAM HARDING Academy Governor/Trustee, St Katherines School A MARK ANTOINE Academy representative – Secondary Business P Manager/Chief Operations Officer ADAM MATTHEWS Academy CEO, Extended Learning Academies P Network SUE ELLIOTT Academy Head Teacher, Worle Village Primary P School - Kaleidoscope STEPHEN WEBBER Academy Headteacher, Clevedon Learning Trust P TONY SEARLE Academy Principal – Hans Price Academy A VACANT Academy Governor MAINTAINED SCHOOLS HEADTEACHERS - vote SARAH HARDING Primary Headteacher Kewstoke P TRACEY TOWLER Special School Headteacher Westhaven School P EMMA GUNDRY PRU Principal, Voyage Learning Campus P MAINTAINED SCHOOLS GOVERNORS (PRIMARY) - vote WENDY FARRIER Maintained School Representative – Primary A Governor (Churchill Primary) NON-SCHOOLS MEMBERS – no vote JOHN SIMPSON Independent Community Representative, Chair P CLLR CATHERINE Executive Member for Children and Young Peoples A GIBBONS Services CLLR WENDY GRIGGS Chair of CYP Policy and Scrutiny Panel P CLAIRE HUDSON Diocese of Bath and Wells P PAUL TRAUBERMAN Early Years – Rainbow Smiles Nursery P DR PAUL PHILLIPS OR 14 – 19 – Weston College P JAQUI FORD – REPRESENTED 1 BY KAREN WORTHINGTON JON REDDIFORD RTPA A OBSERVERS – no vote MIKE EVANS Special School Governor (Ravenswood School P (CoG)) IAN SCOTT National Education Union A SALLY VARLEY Service Leader – Strategic Planning & P Governance, North Somerset Council PRESENTING OFFICER PRESENT – no vote RICHARD BLOWS Transformation Programme Manager A WENDY PACKER Vulnerable Learners Service Lead and Virtual School P Headteacher KATHERINE SOKOL Finance Business Partner A NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES (FOR INFORMATION) – no vote SHEILA SMITH Director of People and Communities A BECKI WONG PA to the Principalship A EFION PRICE Assistant Director Children’s Support & A Safeguarding CO-ORDINATOR – no vote EMMA WHITEHEAD Education Funding Manager P CLERK – no vote HANNAH CUSHEN Business Support P 2 Item Issue Action 1. Apologies and Declarations of interest (JS) JS welcomed everyone to the meeting Apologies were noted. There were no conflicts of interest reported. 2. Minutes of the previous meeting (JS) Approved for accuracy, subject to the following amendments: • William Harding – delete: ‘- Inspirational Futures Trust’ 3. Matters arising that are not on the agenda and notification of AOB (JS) Matters Arising There were no matters arising. There were no notifications of AOB. 4. Chair’s Business JS advised that this meeting would be an information sharing opportunity as national developments had meant that the usual agenda for this meeting gong by past October meetings was not available. He hoped that it would be available by the next meeting on 6th November 2019 – an additional meeting. JS explained that there would be two presentations on funding in the Further Education (FE) and Early Years (EY) sectors, in response to requests at the last meeting. 5. Governance– Welcome to new members (JS) JS welcomed Mark Antoine, who is the new Chief Operations Officer of The Priory Learning Trust. MA advised he had previously been at Worle Community School as the Business Manager. JS welcomed Cllr Wendy Griggs, who is a District Councillor and Chair of the Children and Young Persons Scrutiny Panel. JS welcomed Emma Gundry, who is the new Principal of the Voyage Learning Campus. JS advised that Tony Searle would be the new representative for the Cabot Learning Federation. 3 6. Introduction to Funding – Early Years, Schools, Post 16 (EW/KW) Early Years (EW) EW asked that if more information is required, to let her know and she would provide it for the next meeting. The presentation will be distributed with the minutes, it is summarised below: • Funding breakdown: Schools Block - £121million Central Block - £2million Early Years Block - £11million Post 16 Block - £22million • Top slice (can go up to 5%) but NSC use 1.5% • Top-up – the whole child is funded if over 30 hours • NSC does not have Flexibility Suppliments • 2 year old rate is likely to be top-sliced and the rate for 3 – 4 year olds is likely to be fixed. EW explained the following abbreviations: • EYPP – Early Years Pupil Premium • DAF – Disability Access Fund (this can only go to one provider and the parent decides which setting will receive it) JS asked what the key decisions will be for the SSF, EW advised that everything should be considered. She advised that there were no big changes expected for 2020/2021, but pointed out that if the minimum wage goes up to £10 per hour, the EY funding announced will leave some settings struggling. PT warned that settings will struggle in deprived areas to meet pension requirements etc. Post 16 (KW) The presention will be distibuted with the minutes, it is summarised below: KW advised that there is a pre-conception that Post 16 settings have access to several funding pots. The funding streams that serve this bracket are: • 16 – 19 learners (and 19 – 24 with an EHCP) • Adult Education Budget • 24+ Adult Learning Loan (not paid back if student goes on to University) • Apprenticeship • Additonal funding bids to deliver training to a pre-defined group of learners eg, European Social Fund • Higher Education (funded by Student Finance England and Disability Student Allownce) • Prison Education • Capital Funding Money can only be accessed from one funding stream per student. Learning Support Funding is also available. 4 KW advised that the core funding has been frozen for a seventh year and it is calculated over a 2 year period, she explained how it is calculated. It is not able to predict what the allocation will be year on year. If there is a reserve in an academic year the setting cannot access it until it goes into deficit and any additional reserve funding has to be grown for 2 years. The funding has a very detailed audit process. KW advised that Weston College are a specialist SEND College and they have 509 High Needs learners form 6 different LA’s. The number of High Needs learners has grown by 25% in the last year and this is a continuting trend. As the numbers are unpredictable and different for each student, it is not possible to predict the funding levels year on year. TT asked, as a result of KW’s presentation, for her to provide the college’s full financial figures for each work stream, so the SSF can have a clear understanding before passing judgement. Action: KW KW JS thanks EW and KW. 7. Finance Report, incorporating: 2019-20 budget monitor (EW): The report was circulated prior to the meeting and covers the Period 5 to the end of August 2019, it is summarised below: • Top-up funding – predicting an overspend of £90k, which is likely to have implications on the High Needs Budget • Out of County placement costs – costs cannot be controlled as all children and young people have statutory rights to education and training. • Out of County placements are the largest overspend, which is likely to be in the region of £600,000. • Current finances do not allow for growth, but it is expected there will be extra funding for the High Needs block. • It is hoped that the Special School place funding will increase. EW advised that she would bring the Period 6 figures to the meeting on 6th November. Varients would include change to actual provision. JS asked that SSF can be re-assured that where prices go up, providers are challenged. EW confirmed that this is done. EW agreed to include in future EW reports. Action: EW GL advised that the location of places are usually determined by tribunal so challenge would be limited. JS asked if there was much success with these challenges, WP advised she did not have figures, but felt that it was not often successful. EW advised that there is work being done in the South West to set up a framework contract. SH asked for figures to be broken down to show each element, eg, Travel, but EW advised that the figures shown are the DSG figures only. SW asked for the age of the child to be included. 5 SE asked how the funding is enforced, she gave an example of a student who was receiving £40,000 funding for a placement, but was not attending due to transport issues. JS acknowledge that the budget would be a real challenge. 8. National Updates and Local Budget Setting Process (EW) The report was circulated prior to the meeting and the headlines are: • The school’s budget will rise by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23 compared to 2019-20 funding levels. Separately to this, the government will provide £1.5 billion of funding yearly to compensate schools for the increased cost of employer pension contributions. • Part of this funding will be used to continue to implement the schools National Funding Formula. • Provision of £700 million more in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20 funding levels has been made to support students with SEN. • The government is making a £400 million investment in Further Education in 2020-21. • Early Years spending has increased by £66 million. • The DfE settlement, taking into account the schools, Further Education and Early Years funding, represents a 3.3% increase to the overall resource budget from 2019-20 to 2020-21. EW advised that there are no figures for next year yet, she expects them at the end of Term 1. As soon as they are received, the calculations will be completed as quickly as possible and the consultation will be drafted and th brought back to SSF on the 6 November.