Agenda item

To consider the motion.

Cabinet considered the following motion which had been moved by Councillor L Durham and seconded by Councillor D Flude at the Council meeting on 27th July 2017 and referred to Cabinet for consideration:

“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, Stockport 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 the costs of running a school.”

Councillors Durham and Flude attended the meeting and spoke in support of the motion.

The report set out the background to the matter including details of previous representations made by the Council and an announcement on school funding made by the Secretary of State in September 2017, the implications of which were under consideration.

RESOLVED

That

1.    the Cabinet thanks Councillor L Durham and Councillor D Flude for proposing and seconding the motion and acknowledges the importance of ensuring a fair school funding settlement across Cheshire East;

2.    it is noted that the Leader of the Council has already sent two letters to the Minister for Education relating to school funding; and

3.    following a full analysis of the information published in September 2017 and a conversation with the schools sector, a decision be taken by the Portfolio Holder for Children and Families on the need for a further letter to the Secretary of State.