Agenda and minutes

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th December 2018.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th December 2018 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

See explanatory note below. Please phone the Committee Officer whose name and number appears at the top of this agenda if you need further guidance.

Members have previously agreed that public questions were to be submitted in writing at least 24 hours prior to a meeting to enable officers to provide a detailed response.

            In accordance with Standing Order 28, Mr Alastair Dixon - Patterson of

Lydiard Park Academy, Swindon, submitted written questions regarding a) the use of mainstream funding to support Special Resource Provision (SRP), b) the Department for Education /Education and Skills Funding Agency communication around exclusions charging and c) the publication of the SEND inspection letter.

            It was noted that written responses had been prepared in respect of Mr

Dixon-Patterson’s questions and that these had been tabled at the meeting.

            Mr Dixon-Patterson was in attendance and sought clarification regarding the financial year being utilised for the exclusions charging. The Finance Manager, Education confirmed that an authority’s financial year was being implemented in the calculations. Mr Dixon-Patterson further advised that following the response he received to Question 1, he would be submitting revised questions regarding the allocation of SRP funding.

            The Finance Manager, Education, presented a report updating the Forum on the 2019/20 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement, including (a) estimates of the level of expenditure to be allocated to Early Years, Schools and Academies, High Needs settings and the Central Schools Services centrally retained budgets, (b) proposals to update Primary Behaviour Support charges and the implementation of an Early Help Team around the School pilot consisting of family support workers to work in partnership with schools.(c) the Early Years Consultation and a review of high cost External Placements, (d) the submission of the Authority Proforma Toolkit to the Education Funding Agency, enabling mainstream budgets to be calculated, (e) expenditure proposals for all High Needs block funded items including High Needs students in Mainstream schools, Special schools, Special Resourced Provisions, Alternative Provision, Post-16 and Further Education, External Placements, Independent and Non-Maintained Special Schools and Other Local Authority Commissioned High Needs, and (f) submission of the Section 251 Budget Statement to the Education Funding Agency by end of April 2019.

            The Head of Education explained that other local authorities were experiencing an increase in pressure on the High Needs Budget and this was affecting their DSG balances.  The Finance Manager, Education, with the Head of Education guided members through the key points in the report, commenting on the most significant implications.  She referred to the Early Help model aimed at supporting schools identifying families they considered would benefit from early help intervention and dedicated support. The Early Help Team wanted to work in partnership with schools to enable families to benefit from early intervention.  The Finance Manager, Education also provided an update on the Early Years consultation and the review of external placement costs for member’s consideration.  .

            Following her presentation of the report, the Head of Education, with the Finance Manager, Education, Education and the Early Years Manager, responded to the members’ questions and comments in respect of the following matters:

·         The proposed funding for the “Team Around the School” model was not earmarked to be taken from the High Needs budget.

·         The benefit of implementing the “Team Around the School” model across Swindon.   

·         Concerns and points raised by Swindon Association Primary Headteachers and Swindon Association of Secondary Headteachers regarding the “Team Around the School” model that included:

a) Financial constraints schools were working under and how this may affect service provision if funding was agreed to implement the model;

b) The ways of monitoring the model to ensure cost effectiveness;

c) The source for the additional funding for the model;

d) The request to review the Forum’s agreement at the last meeting for a 0.5% transfer from the DSG to the High Needs budget following receipt of £524k from the Department for Education (DfE) in December 2018 and a further £524k expected for 2019/20, and

(e) Confirmation that this funding would be included in the High Needs budget for 2019/20.

·         The Out of Borough Contingency budget was to be used to support the “Team Around the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.