Agenda and minutes

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Wednesday 18^th June 2014.

In considering matters outstanding from previous meetings, the Assistant Director: Education confirmed that the market testing process for the commissioning of Education Services was ongoing and that the results of the market testing process would be reported to Members in early 2015.

The Chairman noted the forthcoming report outlining attainment figures for Local Authorities similar to Bromley and requested that this be reported to the Education PDS Committee when available.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 8^th April 2014 be agreed and that matters outstanding be noted.

To Follow

Report ED14045

The Sub-Committee considered a report setting out the budget monitoring position for the Education Portfolio based on expenditure to the end of May 2014.  The Schools’ Budget, funded from the Dedicated Schools’ Grant and specific grants was forecast to be in an underspend position of £1,285,000, which would be carried forward into the next financial year.  The controllable part of the Non-Schools’ Budget, funded from Council Tax, Revenue Support and specific grants was forecast to be in an overspend position of £320,000, assuming that £422,000 would be drawn from contingency to offset the shortfall in Education Services Grant.

Members were advised that on 10^th June 2014, the Council’s Executive had been requested to approve a number of carry forward requests for funding to be transferred into contingency for 2014/15.  This included a carry forward request of £297k from the 2013/14 Bromley Children’s Project underspend towards the cost of essential repairs to Castlecombe and Mottingham children’s centres for which the Portfolio Holder for Education’s approval was requested. 

The Head of Education, Care and Health Services Finance confirmed that the £320,000 overspend in the controllable part of the Non-Schools’ Budget was primarily caused by a reduction in Government grant and decline in tuition fee income for the Bromley Adult Education College.  The total Skills Funding Agency Grant for the 2014/15 financial year was approximately £40k less than in 2013/14.  In addition, Jobcentre Plus continued to refer jobseekers to courses at the Kentwood Centre which aimed to support people back into employment, and the cost of providing these courses was included as part of the Skills Funding Agency grant for 2014/15. 

There had also been a £90k overspend in the controllable part of the Non-Schools’ Budget by the Youth Service.  To address the overspend, a reorganisation of the Youth Service had been undertaken which would come into effect in July 2014.  Work was also being undertaken to review how the Duke of Edinburgh Award might best be delivered across the Borough in future.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The latest 2013/14 budget projection for the Education Portfolio be noted;

2)  The Portfolio Holder for Education be recommended to:

i)  Approve the drawdown from central contingency of £297,000 as a carry forward request; and,

ii)  Approve the Education Portfolio Budget Monitoring Report 2014/15

Report ED15076

The Sub-Committee considered a report outlining the final outturn position of the Education Portfolio for the 2013/14 financial year.  This showed an underspend of £539,000 for the controllable element of the Education budget.  A number of carry forward requests totalling £297,000 had been agreed by the Council’s Executive at its meeting on 10^th June 2014.  These carry forward requests related to either unspent grant income or delays in expenditure where cost pressures would continue into 2014/15.

The final outturn position showed a underspend of £4.265m for the Dedicated Schools Grant.  This would be carried forward to the 2014/15 financial year in addition to the underspend from previous years and would be used to fund specific Education-type purposes, including funding to address health and safety measures identified at some schools, and towards the capital costs of establishing a new specialist secondary provision for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the Borough as part of the relocation of Burwood School from its current Orpington site to a more central location. 

Members were advised that the relocation of Burwood School to a more central location offered the opportunity for the school to consider its admissions criteria.  There was currently no Key Stage 4 specialist provision for female pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the Borough.  The recent closure of the national charity, Springboard, which had successfully operated as a training provider in Bromley for several years, would also reduce the level of alternative provision available for young people in the Borough.  It was planned that the new specialist provision would offer up to 75 places for young people, which would both meet the existing demand for places and create surplus places available to be purchased by in and out-of-Borough schools.  A wide range of provision including vocational training would be offered up to Level 1 (D-G Grade GCSE), which would complement the Bromley Alternate Provision Academy, which was seeking to offer a range of provision, including vocational training, up to Level 2 (A-C Grade GCSE) from September 2014.  It was hoped the new specialist provision would also offer a post-16 alternative provision offer for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the Borough.

The Portfolio Holder for Education was pleased to advise Members of the Sub-Committee that there had been an underspend of £310k in Special Educational Needs Transport as a result of increased route efficiency and route sharing with neighbouring Local Authorities, as well as planned costs relating to IT system work required for merging with Adults Transport not being incurred in year.  It was anticipated that further savings could also be realised through the establishment of a new specialist provision for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the Borough as part of the relocation of Burwood School from its current Orpington site to a more central location.

The Chairman noted there had been a shortfall of income in the Education Psychology trading account, as well as higher than budgeted resources  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Sub-Committee reviewed the Terms of Reference for the Education Budget Sub-Committee, which had last been agreed in July 2012 and endorsed by the Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee on 11^th September 2012.

Following discussion, the draft Terms of Reference were agreed and referred to the next meeting of the Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee for endorsement.  The draft Terms of Reference are attached at Appendix A.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The draft Terms of Reference be agreed; and,

2)  The draft Terms of Reference be referred to the next meeting of the Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee for endorsement.

The Sub-Committee considered the work programme for 2014/15 for the Education Budget Sub-Committee.

  9^th September 2014

• Capital Programme Monitoring
• Revenue Monitoring
• Additional Funding for Schools
• Annual Review of School Reserves

16^th October 2014

• Dedicated Schools Funding Grant
• Additional Funding for Schools

  6^th January 2015

• Capital Programme Monitoring
• Revenue Monitoring
• Education Portfolio Budget 2015/16
• Dedicated Schools Funding Grant

  3^rd March 2015

• Capital Programme Monitoring
• Revenue Monitoring

The Chairman noted that a meeting of the Education Budget Sub-Committee would be convened when the market testing process of Education Services had been completed.

RESOLVED that the Education Budget Sub-Committee Work Programme for 2014/15 be noted.

In considering the high number of Bromley schools that had now converted to academy status, the Portfolio Holder for Education suggested that work be undertaken to identify the impact of this on the Education Portfolio budget.  The Local Authority would continue to have a number of responsibilities to academy schools, including the delivery of the Every Child Matters outcomes and the provision of a range of services, such as Special Educational Needs Transport.

RESOLVED that the issues raised be noted.

7.00pm, Tuesday 9^th September 2014

7.00pm, Thursday 16^th October 2014

7.00pm, Tuesday 6^th January 2015

7.00pm, Tuesday 3^rd March 2015