Agenda item

Neil Goddard introduced the report (Agenda Item 14), which presented the LA funded education budget monitoring position for Quarter 2. He explained that this information was provided for context as the Schools’ Forum did not have decision-making powers over these budgets. Neil Goddard highlighted that the overall education budget was £8.855 million, with home to school transport accounting for the largest share at £5.44m, well over half of the total. The remaining budget covered statutory services such as educational psychology, school improvement and early years management.

Neil Goddard noted that excluding transport, the available budget for education services was approximately £3 million, which he described as limited. He reported that the LA was projecting an overspend of £287k for the year, although this figure was expected to rise due to ongoing pressures in home to school transport. Neil Goddard emphasised that sharing this information improved transparency and helped the Forum understand the broader financial context in which Forum decisions were made.

RESOLVED that no questions were raised by the Schools’ Forum, and the report was noted.