Minutes:
Atul Lad presented report to Schools Forum on the 2014-15 Revised Growth Fund.
Appendix A shows the position for 2014/15 budget, taking account of any underspend and including having received some additional funding from the DfE for academies. This means an underspend of £375,940 available to carry forward into 2015/16.
Appendix B shows estimates for the growth fund allocation for the next three years based on worst case scenarios if responsibility for free schools’ growth shifts to LAs instead of the EFA. Concern was noted regarding this and clarification needs to be sought as this estimate suggests that not only expansion above full capacity in free schools might fall under growth find, but also growth as the free school builds to full capacity from opening. Maggie Waller and Coral Miller to discuss and Coral to confirm.
It was noted that the Growth Fund is currently being deployed in primary as this is where the growth is but the fund was established for both phases and the criteria would apply in secondary as the growth works through.
Schools Forum agreed the recommendation in the report that the underspend of £375,940 be carried forward into the Growth Fund for 2015/16.