Agenda item

Melanie Ellis introduced the report (Agenda Item 7), which set out for information purposes the year end balances for all maintained schools, highlighting those schools with a deficit or significant surplus.

Melanie Ellis reported that the schools’ account for 2021/21 had now been closed and the closing balance for each school determined. The school balances at 31^st March 2021 totalled £7.85m, an increase of £2.54m from 2019/20.

Table three on page 16 of the report summarised the main school balances. Primary school balances had increased by £839k to £2,917k. This represented five percent of the main school funding. Melanie Ellis added that 39 primary schools had seen an increase in balances and 14 had seen a decrease. A breakdown per school was detailed in Appendix A to the report.

Melanie Ellis highlighted that there was a further more detailed report on the financial impact of Covid later on the agenda however, section 4.5 of the report detailed that Covid-19 had obviously had a significant impact on schools, both operationally and financially. Schools had received over £1.2m in grant funding related to Covid-19 from the DfE, £775k of which was the Covid-19 Catch Up Premium. For many schools the majority of the planned expenditure for this grant was in 2021/22, thereby increasing their carry forward balances.

Table four on page 17 of the report provided detailed on the schools with significant surpluses and balances in excess of 10% of their funding in 2020/21.

RESOLVED that the Schools’ Forum noted the report.