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Agenda item

De-delegations 2019/20 (Amin Hussian)

Minutes:

Ian Pearson introduced the report (Agenda Item 6), which set out the details, cost and charges to schools of the services on which maintained school representatives were required to vote whether or not they should be de-delegated. Ian Pearson added that it was a decision that needed to be taken by the Schools’ Forum on an annual basis.

The report gave further detail on each service including a table showing the budget and estimated unit charge. The Heads Funding Group (HFG) had reviewed each area including what the change in cost would be for each service in 2019/20. There were some areas where further justification had been required. One particular area of interest had included Health and Safety under the Statutory and Regulatory Duties (Table 6). There had been concern raised that the cost of Option 1 had increased from £3.52 in 2018/18 to £8.19 in 2019/20. It had been agreed that the Health and Safety Manager should be invited to the next meeting of the HFG to justify the reasons for the cost increase.

Ian Pearson reported that in previous years the Schools’ Forum had acknowledged that the HFG was looking into the de-delegation proposals in great detail and would submit a recommendation to the December Schools’ Forum meeting, which it could then chose to approve or not.

Keith Harvey referred to the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service and noted that the there was a change in the amount per pupil with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Keith Harvey asked if this included pupils with EAL in the early stages, as some schools had children who could speak English fluently and did not require support. It was possible an increased amount was required for pupils with EAL. Ian Pearson stated that de-delegations were restricted by Education and Skills Funding Agency rules and he would need to investigate in more detail to see if there was any flexibility in relation to the point made.

RESOLVED that  the Schools’ Forum noted the report, it would return to the Schools’ Forum in December 2018 for final decision.

Supporting documents: