To consider the updated charges for 2017/18.

RECOMMEMDED to Council

1.         That the charges for 2017/18 for non statutory services to Schools and Academies be approved.

2.      That the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as set out in Appendix C to the report, be noted.

The Executive considered a report from the Executive Member for Corporate Resources that set out the proposed revised charges for 2017/18 for traded services to schools and academies for non statutory services. 

The Department for Education was consulting on changes to school funding arrangements but the outcome of this would not be known until the end of 2016 at the earliest.

Reason for decision:  To enable the Council to agree the charges as part of delivering a balanced budget for 2017/18.

RECOMMEMDED to Council

1.         that the charges for 2017/18 for non statutory services to Schools and Academies be approved; and

2.      that the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as set out in Appendix C to the report, be noted.

To consider the revised prices for services traded to Schools and Academies for 2017/18 as set out in the Executive report and provide recommendations on the proposals.

The Head of Finance introduced a report that outlined the proposed traded services to schools and Academies for non statutory services in 2017/18.  The Executive Member for Education and Skills advised that learning from the locality workshops from across the region would help inform the appropriate services required by schools.   A customer focussed Schools Trading document would be updated accordingly.

Concern regarding the high cost of recruiting teaching staff was raised and whether additional recruitment services could be provided to schools?  The Executive Member confirmed this was a key area of work being developed in the Locality Workshops.

A written response would be circulated to the Committee on:

·         The cost of fees charged for schools admissions appeals and how this impacted on successful Academies.

·         Additional detail be provided on the charges based on published admission numbers for schools.

The Head of Finance would circulate details as they are announced of the Government’s proposals regarding a fairer funding formula for schools and the demise of the Education Services Grant. 

It was agreed that officers would seek to provide timelines and economy of scale on completion of the assessment of school need of services process.  The Head of Finance would provide a list of those new services to be offered to schools and the planned completion date for next year’s booklet.

Recommended that the Head of Finance provide additional information to the Committee on:-

1.    The cost of fees charged for the schools admissions appeals.  Additional detail be provided on the charges based on published admission numbers for schools.

2.    Details of the government consultation regarding a fairer funding formula and its impact on the Dedicated Schools Grant be circulated.

3.    That a commitment be made to conduct an assessment on the services needed by schools with timings for completion, from council officers.

To receive information and provide comments regarding proposals to schools trading.

The Committee received a report which outlined the proposed revised prices for services traded to schools and Academies for 2017/18. The Executive Member for Education and Skills provided details of locality workshops taking place across the region which would identify improved ways of offering services to schools, acknowledging the need to revisit the process for future years. The Head of Financial Performance and Support advised the Committee of a consultation which would change funding for schools, with the Department for Education reducing local authority funding, thus creating a pressure.

Members queried the value of the booklet, the format in which it was presented to schools and that it would be helpful to understand the volume of take up in relation to services bought from the Council by schools. Officers confirmed that it was a useful document in determining where the Council would provide services, agreeing that an exercise to determine volume could be explored in future. Members discussed the price differentials between schools in relation to the amount charged for Governor training and the quality of Chairmanship skills to which the Executive Member agreed was a focus for the directorate.

RECOMMENDED that the Directorate analyse the volume of services provided to schools and the associated buy in, in order to evaluate the viability and if necessary re-evaluate the process in future.