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Contact: Rhodri Jones 01286 679556
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies
were received from: ·
Dafydd Gibbard (Chief
Executive) ·
Dewi Morgan (Head of
Finance Department) ·
Donna Roberts (Specials
Schools Representative) ·
Robert Townsend
(Representative for the Diocese) ·
David Healy (Secondary
Schools Advisor) ·
Eifion Roberts
(Governors: Meirionnydd) |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No
declarations of personal interest were received. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Minutes: None
to note. |
|
To confirm
the minutes of the previous meeting held on 30 September 2024. (Copy
attached) Minutes: The
Chair signed the minutes of the previous Forum meeting held on 30 September, 2024 as a true record. |
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MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES To consider
any matters arising from the minutes that do not appear on the Agenda. Minutes: None
to note. |
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MEMBERSHIP OF THE FORUM To receive
a verbal update. Minutes: The
Forum members were updated on new appointments to the Forum. Mr Kyle Jones
(Ysgol yr Hendre) was welcomed to his first meeting
of the Forum as a primary schools representative. It
was also noted that Mr Robert Townsend had confirmed that he would be
representing the Diocese on the Forum in the future. |
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SCHOOLS' BALANCES: FINANCIAL YEAR 2023/24 Kathy Bell
(Schools’ Group Accountant) to present the report. Additional documents: Minutes: The
report was submitted by the Schools Group Accountant. It
was explained that the report shared information about individual schools'
balances on 31 March 2024, as well as the value of the balances as a percentage
of the schools' budgets final allocation for the 2023/24 financial year. It
was confirmed that the schools’ total balance was £8.5m which would be used
from 1 April 2024 onwards to set the budget for 2024/25. She noted that
approximately half of the total balances had been earmarked for setting this
year's budgets. It was believed that the total balances would be quite
different by the end of this financial year because of the Council's current
financial situation. Matters
arising from the discussion: A
member gave thanks for the information and asked how much of the balances had
been used to balance the budget for the following financial year, in order to find how much money remained for use by the
schools. In response to the observations, the Group Accountant confirmed that
schools' balances had been very high following the pandemic because of grants
received following Covid-19. She explained that the grant funding was now being
used up and that the level of balances was decreasing to be in line with pre-pandemic
levels. RESOLVED: To
accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion. |
|
EDUCATION BUDGET AND SCHOOLS' ALLOCATIONS Kathy Bell
(Schools’ Group Accountant) to present the report. Additional documents:
Minutes: The
report was submitted by the Schools Group Accountant. It
was explained that this report had been submitted to the Forum for information.
She stated that the Education budget for 2024/25 was around £118m and that
around £97m had been allocated to the schools in Gwynedd. Data
was presented on how the budget was allocated between the primary, secondary and special schools. She noted that the numbers of
pupils in education in those sectors was the main driver that determined how
the money was allocated. She detailed that approximately £6m had been allocated
to special schools, £45m to primary schools and £42m to secondary schools (key
stages 3 and 4). She explained that around £4m was allocated to secondary
schools that had a sixth form on site (6 secondary schools in Arfon, and Ysgol
Godre'r Berwyn, Meirionnydd). Matters
arising from the discussion: The
report was corrected to confirm that the actual budget of the Education
Department was £117,900m. It
was noted that the 'IBA' indicator confirmed the Gwynedd Education budget to be
£119m, and a member questioned where this extra £1m was being spent. In
response to the question, the Head of Education Department confirmed that the
IBA estimated indicator had been shared before political decisions were made,
and that the Education Department's financial allocation had been determined by
the Council. It
was mentioned that £1.5m had been earmarked for schools' quality services, and
the member requested details about the services that received this funding. The
Head of the Education Department confirmed that a large proportion of the
funding was currently being allocated to GwE as the service was being
restructured. He elaborated that a portion of the funding was spent on
management in the Education Department and on curricular and professional
development grants. RESOLVED: ·
To accept the report,
noting the observations made during the discussion. ·
To hold a further
discussion on the allocation to Schools Quality Services at the next meeting. |
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UPDATE: CHANGES TO THE ALN FUNDING METHOD Ffion
Edwards Ellis (Assistant Head of Department: Special Educational Needs and
Incusion) to present the report. Minutes: The
report was submitted by the Assistant Head: Special Educational Needs and
Inclusion. Members
of the Forum were reminded of the need to allocate ALN funding based on needs
and a formula rather than the Moderation Panel, following the lead of several
other Local Authorities who had already taken this step. It was explained that
this would lead to a more equitable system because the same formula would be
used for all schools. It was clarified that this was based on using existing
data. It was noted that they expected this change to provide greater security
for schools, leading to creating job stability for assistants. The
Forum members were updated on the work that was taking place up to the end of
March 2025. It
was explained that a transition period had been identified where a net had been
set so that no school would see an increase or decrease of more than 50% to its
current budget for the first year of the system. It was confirmed that all
schools would fully transition to the system in the following year. It
was confirmed that further modelling, using the final data within the IDP, had
been completed before recently releasing schools' projections. It was added
that some schools had made contact with officers to
confirm the scores that had been noted in the system. It was noted that the
Assistant Head would have discussions with the Group Accountant to assess the
need to update the figures and distribute them to each school to ensure all
schools had the correct figures, or if schools wished to adjust figures. She
reported that they hoped to produce supporting documentation by the end of the
term. She noted that schools would be able to use these as a handbook from
March 2025 in order to familiarise themselves with the
system. She
assured the forum that sessions would be offered to schools so that they could
have discussions and receive guidance from officers. She explained that these
would be taking place up to mid-February and would focus on ALN funding and its
impact. Matters
arising from the discussion: In
response to a query regarding an increase in the ALN budget, the Assistant Head
confirmed that there were no arrangements to increase the budget to date. She
explained that this was because of financial challenges, but they hoped to
receive grants from the Welsh Government to support the provision. It was
confirmed that the new system merely adjusted how the budget was allocated
rather than changing the total budget available. A member asked how the new ALN funding arrangement would be reviewed to ensure the budget was being used in the best way for Gwynedd schools and pupils. In response to the enquiry, the Assistant Head confirmed that ongoing review was a statutory requirement, and a review report would be submitted annually when the system was operational. She elaborated that the first review report would be submitted in two years' time to ensure that the transitional ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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SCHOOLS' PROJECTIONS Kathy Bell
(Schools’ Group Accountant) to present the report. Additional documents: Minutes: The
report was submitted by the Schools Group Accountant. She
reported that a reduction of 182 may be seen in primary schools' pupil numbers
which was equivalent to £338,000. She explained that a reduction in numbers led
to a reduced budget for schools, before taking into account
any potential, unavoidable financial cuts. She confirmed that no formal
decision about cuts had been made to date. She
explained that a reduction in pupil numbers had a greater impact on schools'
budget than any financial cuts. It was also confirmed that they were witnessing
a reduction in pupil numbers in the secondary sector and the sixth forms. It was confirmed that they were not seeing any change in the special
schools at present, as pupil numbers were close to capacity. It was reported
that the money allocated to the special schools had increased during the past
two years, after a review of the severity of needs of the children attending
the schools. The Forum members were reminded that the Council had protected
special schools from cuts in the past, and it was noted that this might change
in future depending on the financial situation over the coming years. It
was noted that a reduction of around £1.2m was expected, taking
into account the budgets of both Cyngor Gwynedd and the Welsh
Government. It was noted that this could lead to fewer members of staff within
the schools, forcing schools to face redundancy processes in the future. Matters
arising from the discussion: It
was acknowledged that the primary sector had faced financial challenges in
recent years because of a decrease in pupil numbers year on year. Concern was
expressed that this decrease would affect the secondary sector as those pupils
progressed with their education. It was considered whether the smallest
secondary schools would be able to offer the full cross-section of the
curriculum and also fund it? It was confirmed that initial engagement on the Education Strategy had
taken place this year, and that the Department would engage further in January
2025. It was hoped that this new Education Strategy would provide guidance for
the next 10 years to be able to cope with the financial challenges. The
Head of Education Department confirmed that the reduction in pupil numbers was
not only a rural problem, as it was affecting every school within the County.
He noted that it was essential to ensure that firm strategic leadership was
provided, supported by the new Cabinet Member for Education, as soon as
possible so that the strategy could be operational as soon as possible. RESOLVED: To
accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion. |
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ANY OTHER MATTERS To raise
any related matters. Minutes: None
to note. |
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DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING To confirm
the date of the next meeting. Minutes: It
was confirmed that the next meeting would be held on 17 February 2025 at
3:45pm. It was noted that the agenda would be published on 7 February 2025. It
was explained that this date had been scheduled as it was timely as the Council
sought to set a budget for the 2025/26 financial year. It was noted that
reports will have been submitted to the Governance and Audit Committee (6
February 2025) and the Cabinet (11 February 2025) on the budget before
presenting financial information to this Forum. |