Agenda item

Atul Lad went through the report to the Schools Forum, detailing the estimated Schools’ Block budget for 2014-15: £106,104,552 based on October 2013 pupil numbers.

Centrally held items were agreed at Schools Forum in December bar two items.  It was proposed that Schools Forum note that £28,000 previously held to fund a KS3 Coordinator be returned to the DSG. It was proposed that the £30,000 for Broadband maintenance is continued to be held for 2014/15 and included in the Cambridge Education Review of centrally held expenditure.  It was noted that any centrally held funding not spent will come back to Schools Forum for re-allocation.

There was some discussion about the funding relating to Schools Improvement and Robin Crofts explained that the funding is being spent mainly on consultants fulfilling the LA statutory duties in relation to monitoring, challenge and intervention. It was suggested and agreed that Schools Forum should be in receipt of evaluation of Cambridge Education spend in centrally retained budgets, whether managed by Cambridge Education or allocated to schools for specific projects. This item will be added to the Schools Forum Work Programme.

Recommendations 2.2 & 2.3 were agreed by the Schools Forum.

In relation to recommendation 2.1 (to note the estimated Schools Block) this was noted but subject to clarification of the funding from the Council relating to the PFI factor being confirmed. Maggie Waller is to request clarification from the Council of the PFI figures implicit in the estimated Schools’ Block figures and confirmation regarding the Council’s contribution to the ‘affordability gap’.