Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report (Agenda Item 10) which set out the details, cost and charges to schools of the services on which maintained school representatives were required to vote (on an annual basis) whether or not they should be de-delegated. Ian Pearson reported that the proposals for de-delegations aligned to that of previous years and included the same areas.

Ian Pearson reported that at this stage a decision was required on whether the information should be included within the consultation with schools. Decisions would then be required from maintained primary and secondary schools at the next Schools’ Forum meeting in December 2020, on whether the services should be de-delegated. Other provision such as iCollege, nursery schools and special schools would have the opportunity to buy in to services. Most services were also available to academy schools. The report set out detail on each of the services including any changes in cost.

(Richard Hawthorne left the meeting at 6pm)

Information on the Health and Safety Services was set out in more detail on page 121 and Alice Pye, Senior Health and Safety Advisor at West Berkshire Council, was in attendance to answer any questions.

Jonathan Chishick asked for clarification on whether there would be a basic and enhanced level of health and safety service available in 2021/22 and queried what the cost of the basic level would be. Ian Pearson explained that the consultation would be asking schools for views on whether they wished to delegate the health and safety service and secondly what level they wished to delegate it at. Once the responses from schools had been analysed this information would be brought back to the Schools’ Forum for decision.

In response to Jonathan Chishick’s question Alice Pye confirmed that there would be two levels of health and safety service available. The system currently in place was a Level 1 and Level 2 service and this would be included in the proposal going out for consultation with schools. The second proposal was to bring the service to an equal level, like what had been provided throughout the Covid pandemic. Alice Pye confirmed that the cost for the Level 1 service in 2021/22 was £4.47 and if a joint service was opted for then the cost would be the same as the Level 1 service with a top up fee depending on the size of a school.

David Ramsden commented that there had been much discussion about the health and safety service over the years and in the past schools had been provided with the choice to buy in to the level of service they wanted. David Ramsden queried what had changed to stop the same approach being taken. Alice Pye reported that the service had run at a loss over several years and was sustained by the level of Level 2 buy back. When the level of buy back dropped, the level of service dropped considerably. During Covid the decision had been taken to provide all schools with the Level 2 service as schools needed this additional support in the changing situation. If in April 2021, if the level of buy back dropped, the level of service provided would also have to reduce. Providing an equal level to all schools would help to sustain the service so that it continue to provide the level of service that schools had required during the Covid pandemic.

David Ramsden queried if it was therefore a question of how many schools currently buying into Level 1 would be willing to buy into Level 2. Alice Pye stated that this was not necessarily the case as the level of schools buying into Level 2 changed each year due to individual budget pressures. Alice Pye was conscious of the budgetary pressures on all schools going forward and therefore the increased likeliness that many would cut spending going forward. There was still a corporate responsibility to provide the service to schools but a balance needed to be sought regarding what level schools required. Covid had highlighted that all schools required additional support through exceptional circumstances.  

David Ramsden queried how the heightened level of service to all schools had been funded. Alice Pye confirmed that this had been supported through schools that had bought back the Level 2 service.

Ian Pearson reminded members of the Forum that the proposals would be included in the consultation with schools. Any issues that occurred would be discussed at the Heads Funding Group in November before the report returned to the Schools’ Forum in December 2020.

The Chairman invited the relevant members of the Forum to consider the recommendations set out in the report and also invited primary school members to consider whether they agreed that the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund should be topped up to £200k.

Jon Hewitt proposed that the recommendation under section 2.1 of the report be agreed and this was seconded by Antony Gallagher. At the vote the motion was carried.

Keith Harvey proposed that the recommendation to agree that the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund should be topped up to £200k, be approved. This was seconded by Antony Gallagher. At the vote the motion was carried.

RESOLVED that:

• Maintained school members of the Schools’ Forum agreed that the proposals set out in Table 7 of the report be included in the consultation with schools.
• Maintained primary school members of the Schools’ Forum agreed that the Schools in Financial Difficulty Fund should be topped up to £200k.