Agenda item

Atul Lad provided an update on the report previously submitted to the Forum on the Balance Control Mechanism which informed the Forum of the surplus balances held by individual schools, and whether the schools have plans to use those balances in the following year.

It was reported that, of the relevant 17 schools, 16 had responded with comprehensive detail. Planned spend included e.g. capital, ICT, staffing, school improvement and infant free school meals.  Western House had not submitted a return but has now become an academy which takes the school out of the Balance Control Mechanism.

Discussion took place about academies sharing information about surplus balances, which has the support of academy members on the Forum.  It was agreed that members present would raise this as a principle in the phase groups and that Atul Lad would look at providing a possible template for the information. 

Robin Crofts noted that the trend is that balances have been decreasing rapidly, particularly over the last year, and that this is a concern given increasing pressures.