Issue - meetings

The Following Notices of Motion had been submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 12:-

1        Schools Education Funding

Proposed by Councillor L Durham and seconded by Councillor D Flude

This Council notes:

·       that in March 2016 the Government announced a review and consultation(s) on school funding reform;

·       that the average per-pupil school funding received from the Government varies considerably;

·       the Institute for Fiscal Studies report of December 2016 indicated that schools were predicted to see cost increases of around 8% by 2019/20;

·       schools in England are facing the first real-terms cuts to their funding in a generation;

·       that schools in England are already facing significant additional costs which the Government does not intend to pay for, including the removal of the Education Support Grant later this year;

·       that there is subsequently the need to move toward a more transparent system of Schools funding allocation.

This Council believes that:

·       investment in education is investment in the future of our nation;

·       investment in education is essential to provide all our young people with the chance to succeed;

·       the formula proposals presented in the National Fairer Funding Formula (NFFF) Stage 2 Consultation fall short of what was expected, lock in historical inequalities and will not deliver fairness as promised;

·       the national Government should make funds available for national Government policy initiatives in schools;

·       the basic level of funding allocated to all schools must be adequate for the school for both operational costs and the sufficient provision of staffing;

·       additional needs funding should be, as the name suggests, additional- and therefore should be targeted at Additional Education Needs (AEN) factors, and not come at the expense of the basic entitlement funding which is imperative to achieving a fair, balanced and equitable funding formula;

·       schools funding should follow a formula which combines need-based assessment with lump sum funding per pupil, to ensure all schools can function with appropriate pupil-teacher ratios and meet a defined set of costs-  this should be provided in accordance with 75% pupil funding and additional needs factors of 14% (deprivation 8%, prior attainment 5% and EAL 1%);

·       pupils of similar characteristics should attract similar levels of funding wherever they are in the country (allowing for the area cost adjustment);

·       while the Stage 2 consultation is about finding a fair funding methodology and not about the quantum of funding available, Cheshire East schools have been making cuts for many years now and have reached the limit of where further cuts can be identified;

·       the outcome of the fair funding for school’s consultation should be fair.

This Council further resolves to ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Education asking them to:

·       ensure the budget for Schools is kept in line with inflation from the year 2015;

·       ensure the Government’s policy commitments to the apprenticeship levy, national living wage and pension contributions in schools are fully funded by national Government;

·       commission a comprehensive review of education funding covering ages 0-19;

·       publish the methodology used to calculate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26