Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Emma Allen, Margy Bushell, Julian Dutnall, John McKernan, Wayne Chretien, Maria Thompson and Keith Passingham.

The minutes are attached as Item 2.

It was noted under Item 135 that the minute read as 206-2017 instead of 2016-2017. With that change, the minutes of the meeting were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no matters arising that were not dealt with elsewhere on the agenda. 

To note the main points from the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement relating to Education funding. The attachment marked Item 3 refers.

DA took members through the report, which highlighted five issues raised in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015. Members were asked to note that:

1.    Free childcare will be doubled from 15 hours to 30 hours per week for families with each parent working a minimum 16 hours a week and having an income of up to £100k per annum each;

2.    Universal free school meals for infants will remain;

3.    The Dedicated Schools Grant and the Per Pupil Premium will remain in its current form thereby protecting per pupil funding in “real terms”. The Chair asked for clarification on this and DA explained that the introduction of a national funding formula will redistribute funding from the DSG to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country. DA explained that this was likely to hit London Boroughs receiving higher levels of funding and although Havering was not one of those there could be no guarantee that Havering would benefit from this. MP affirmed that the implementation of the formula will be transitioned in from 2017-18.

4.    The government is seeking to introduce efficiencies and make savings of approximately £600m from the ESG by reducing Local Authority functions in running schools and supporting schools to realise savings from procurement; and

5.    The restructure of post-16 education and training means that Sixth Form Colleges in England can become academies so that they can recover VAT costs. MP clarified that the restructuring of post 16 provision would include School Sixth Forms as well as Sixth Form Colleges.

To consider an amendment to the current arrangements for funding pupil growth in secondary schools. The attachment marked Item 4 refers.

 The Forum considered the amended arrangements for allocating resources to schools that were expanding, Appendix A of the report included in the agenda papers referred.

DA affirmed that some secondary schools would be required to increase their Pupil Admission Number (PAN) from the academic year 2016-17 and consideration should be given to the extent to which additional pupil numbers could be absorbed before additional funding was allocated.; Some schools were already at a tipping point and often too limited with their resources to take on additional students.  MP stated that funding an increase only when there was additional financial demand was more preferable for Havering as it would be at nil cost at a time when the authority had limited funds.

Members of the Forum were directed to example figures in the report and asked to make a decision as to whether or not additional funding should be allocated to secondary schools through the pupil growth contingency only above an additional one pupil for every year group. Secondary head teacher representatives queried the need for growth in any PANs for September 2016.  The decision was deferred to the next meeting of the Forum in order that the matter could firstly be discussed at a meeting due to be held in January 2016 between all secondary schools and Council officers.

To note meeting dates arranged as follows:

Thursday 21st January 2016

Thursday 17th March 2016

Thursday 28th April 2016

Thursday 23rd June 2016

All meetings to be held at CEME at 8.30am.

Meetings to be held at CEME at 8.30am on:

21 January 2016

17 March 2016

28 April 2016

23 June 2016

There was no other business raised.