Agenda item

Education Services Grant

Minutes:

Ceri Walters introduced the report seeking approval to transfer the former Retained Education Services Grant (ESG) to the Local Authority. Ceri highlighted the following:

 

(a)  ESG is being phased out but there will be transitional funding available until August. Academies receive this funding direct;

(b)  ESG Retained Funding funds statutory duties for all city pupils, whereas ESG General Duties only relates to pupils in maintained schools;

(c)  the Local Authority intends to do some benchmarking work against other authorities during the 2017/18 year to inform future decisions;

 

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Forum:

(d)  there is no reason foreseen as to why any additional funding would be required this year, however the final budget has not yet been approved;

(e)  in the 2018/19 school year ESG will be removed and funding will be paid direct to schools. Funding for these services will be treated as a de-delegated budget.

 

RESOLVED to

 

(1)  approve funding to support the statutory retained duties of the Local Authority for all pupils as set out below:

 

 

Total cost (£m)

Rate per pupil (£)

Director of Children’s Services and personal staff for director

0.097

2.46

Planning for education service as a whole

Revenue budget preparation, preparation of information on income and expenditure relating to education, and external audit relating to education

0.027

0.67

Administration of grants

0.157

3.98

Authorisation and monitoring of expenditure not met from schools’ budget shares

Formulation and review of local authority schools funding formula

Provision of information to or at the request of the Crown other than relating specifically to maintained schools

Plans involving collaboration with other LA services or public/voluntary bodies

Internal audit and other tasks related to the authority’s chief finance officer’s responsibilities under Section 151 of LGA 1972 except duties specifically related to maintained schools

0.011

0.28

Consultation costs relating to non-staffing issues

0.015

0.38

Standing Advisory Committees for Religious Education (SACREs)

0.004

0.09

Functions in relation to the exclusion of pupils from schools, excluding any provision of education to excluded pupils

0.135

3.44

School attendance

Responsibilities regarding the employment of children

Management of the LA’s capital programme including preparation and review of an asset management plan, and negotiation and management of private finance transactions

0.071

1.81

General landlord duties for all buildings owned by the local authority, including those leased to academies

0.056

1.42

Services set out in the table above will also include overheads relating to these services:

·  Ensuring payments are made in respect of taxation, national insurance and superannuation contributions

·  Recruitment, training, continuing professional development, performance management and personnel management of staff

·  Investigations of employees or potential employees, with or without remuneration

·  Investigation and resolution of complaints

·  Legal services related to education functions

 

 

TOTAL

0.640

16.27

 

(2)  note that no approvals are required for the transitional funding of general duties of £0.478m as set out below. This funding is for the statutory requirements of the Local Authority in relation to maintained schools only:

 

 

Full year rate

27/18 5/12s allocation rate

ESG General Funding Rate for mainstream schools

£66.00

£27.50

ESG General Funding Rate for special schools

£280.50

£116.88

ESG General Funding Rate for PRUs

£247.50

£102.13

 

(3)  note that the Local Authority:

a.  is not requesting any further funding over and above the transitional funding for 2017/18;

b.  will require funding of these services in 2018/19, which will form part of a separate report;

(4)  note the recommendation to include on the Schools Forum Sub Group work programme for 2017/18:

a.  a question and answer session in relation to the statutory duties of the Local Authority for all pupils as per recommendation 1;

b.  2018/19 funding of the statutory duties of the Local Authority for maintained schools only as per recommendation 2;

(5)  request a timeline for funding approvals over the next year to be presented to the next Forum meeting.

Supporting documents: