Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report which examined a bid from Kintbury St Mary’s CE Primary School for a sum of £18,677 from the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund.

Since 2013, local authorities had been required to delegate to all schools the contingency previously held for schools in financial difficulty. Each phase in the maintained sector then had the option to de-delegate the funding to centrally retain it. This decision was made annually. In 2015/16, Primary Schools chose to de-delegate this funding.

The balance of the fund for 2015/15 was £233,960, including the unspent budget from 2014/15. No payments had been made so far in 2015/16. The criteria for allocation of the funding was laid out in the report.

A bid had been received from Kintbury St Mary’s CE Primary School for £18,677 to cover redundancy costs, which has been incurred from restructuring the school in order to reduce costs as part of its long term budget planning.

Heads Funding Group had recommended that the Schools Forum approve the award of £18,677 from the Schools in Financial Difficulty Budget.

David Ramsden commented that he had not been present at the meeting of the Heads Funding Group and expressed concern that the decision taken might set a precedent for further bids for funding. He noted that although the bid was for £18,677 it was to cover redundancy costs associated with restructuring, the numbers of high needs pupils, the response to a ‘requires improvement’ judgement from Ofsted and other factors which might effect any primary school. Claire White responded that an in depth discussion was held at the Heads Funding Group meeting which touched on the point raised however the bid was deemed to meet the criteria to receive funding from the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund. Primary Schools had chosen to de-delegate money to this fund.

John Tyzack summarised that this was a legitimate bid for funding and met the criteria as agreed by the Schools Forum. Claire White agreed that the school had made a clear and well-informed application.

DECISON: that the sum of £18,677 from the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund be awarded to Kintbury St Mary’s CE Primary School to cover redundancy costs.