School Revenue Funding Arrangements from 2016-17

Response to consultation

School revenue funding arrangements from 2016-17

Period of consultation

Ends 12 noon Wednesday 23rd September 2015 prior to the October meeting of the Devon Education Forum (DEF).

DEF will make recommendations to Cabinet (on detailed formula aspects) and will make decisions on de-delegation and centrally provided services. The changes will be implemented from the start of the next financial year in April 2016 unless any variation is agree

Please send your response to the following link:

http://www.devon.gov.uk/consultation-responses-2016-17

Version 1

School name and DfE number / Type of school (primary/ secondary) / No. on roll / Please indicate Academy or maintained school / Respondent’s name / Designation e.g. Head Teacher, Governor

Schools Block Formula Consultation Questions

School Crossing Patrols

In order to meet budget reduction pressures Devon County Council needs to achieve £250,000 in savings from the School Crossing Patrol service, effective from 01 April 2016. This equates to the salaries of all front line patrols and 33% of back-office support.

Provision of the service is not statutory. However, there are statutory requirements for the manner in which service is delivered. Devon County Council is committed to maintaining a budget to help ensure compliance with the statutory element, whilst moving the provision of patrols to a user-pays model applicable to all schools. The user-pays model would replace the current approach of assessing need based on a series of technical criteria.

Question 1

Is a user-pays service, enabled by DCC, a model of service continuation that you feel able to support in principle?

If you disagree it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Yes No

Comments

Question 2

As the service user, would you prefer that the patrol was employed (a) by the school or (b) by a third party operating on a commercial or full-cost recovery basis?

Please provide a comment to aid your response.

Employed by the School Employed by a third party

Comments

Question 3

If you currently have a patrol, and if resources permitted, would you elect to maintain your crossing patrol under such a user-pays model?

If you disagree it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Yes No

Comments

Question 4

Despite budgetary pressures Devon County Council remains committed to enabling, rather than providing, a School Crossing Patrol service. Do you have any alternative suggestions for a service model that helps enable a continuation of service whilst achieving the necessary budgetary savings?

Comments

Delegated services

(This section is for Mainstream schools vote only)

Question 5

Behaviour Support Services

This commissioned work is currently provided by Babcock LDP.

This highly experienced team consists of 11 Advisory Teachers, 3 Specialist Support Workers and 2 Family Workers (Qualified Social Workers) who are highly skilled and have a wide experience of teaching and working with children with these needs and their families.

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to Commission on our behalf.

The delivery model might change and Babcock LDP is currently running head teacher focus groups to consider how delivery can be improved where relevant.

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school and each school to purchase own package of support as required. Where schools choose not to de-delegate, DCC and schools will need to agree how statutory responsibilities are to be delivered and who is responsible for the delivery. Any additional activities that bring benefit but are not statutory will be the responsibility of schools to organise. DCC will still have a responsibility for all vulnerable children.

Please provide a comment to expand your thoughts.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 6

Ethnic Minority Achievement

This commissioned work is currently provided by Babcock LDP.

The EMA team consists of 4 Advisory teachers (3 FTE) and 13 Bilingual Support Workers (4 FTE) who are able to provide specialist support to pupils in a wide range of languages. At present this includes: Polish, Thai, Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Hungarian, Slovak and Czech. This reflects the current identified needs across Devon schools, being regularly reviewed and adjustments made in response to feedback from schools and EMA data.

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to Commission on our behalf.

The delivery model might change and Babcock LDP is currently running head teacher focus groups to consider how delivery can be improved where relevant.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 7

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Achievement

This commissioned work is currently provided by Babcock LDP.

The team consists of 3 highly skilled staff (2FTE). The total number of GRT children contacted or known to be in the area during 2013/14 was 304, including children in housing, visiting children on authorised sites and on licensed fairgrounds. It also included children from 14 unauthorised encampments. The number of schools and settings with Traveller children on roll was 77 (54 primary, 19 secondary).

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to Commission on our behalf.

The delivery model might change and Babcock LDP is currently running head teacher focus groups to consider how delivery can be improved where relevant.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 8

Free School Meals Eligibility

This function is currently provided by Devon County Council (from within the Admissions Team). The service is delivered by 1.8 FTE with flexibility within the wider team to support at key renewal points. At summer 2015 there were 11,920 pupils eligible in Devon schools. Over £14m of Pupil Premium funding was paid to Devon schools based on 12,000 pupils who were, or had previously been eligible.

Proposal:

This is not a statutory service and therefore it is proposed that this will become a traded service rather than de-delegated. Maintained and Academies can subscribe to this service provided by DCC at the following subscription rates:

School Type / Rate
Primary School (PAN 30 or less) / £150
Primary School (PAN Greater than 30) / £220
Secondary School / £440

Note: If all schools that are part of formal federation or multi school trust buy back the service they will receive a 10% discount.

The options available are:

Option 1: Monies remain delegated to school and each school buys back the service to receive the discounts associated with the purchasing power of DCC stated in the proposal.

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school and each school takes on the responsibility for free school meals, including all of the eligibility assessments and any query around entitlement/eligibility as well as audit checks and renewals.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 9

Copyrights, Licences and Subscriptions

The DSG is top-sliced directly by the EFA at a national rate per pupil.

Licences administered by DCC on behalf of maintained schools (and academies that choose to buy back in) are:

1) CLEAPSS (LEA Provision of Science Services)

The estimated combined cost of these licences is £20,000. This is net of any academy buy back. DCC is able to secure a discount on the licence fees due to the economies of scale, and this is reflected in the academy buy back rates

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate and continue to take advantage of discounts associated with the purchasing power of DCC.

Option 2: Retain funding in school budgets and each school is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate licences are purchased.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 10

Trade Union facilitation

This centrally provided service work is currently provided by Devon County Council.

The current model of delivery means that schools have access to the following services:

· Access to union consultation for key policies

· Centrally organised fund to cover payments to schools for with staff involved in Trade Union activities.

· Legal backing / support

For dispute explanation and how this is will be reconciled

Reconciliation and mediation (excluding HR)

Reorganisation of school days or structure

Understanding of the law and policies within the schools

· Access to union representation during the school day

Review pay policies for redundancies and redeployments

Attend hearings for redundancies and redeployments

Looking at competency and disciplinary actions

If the school does not buy back the service reps are not contracted to come in during the school day

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to provide these payments in respect of all qualifying staff. This will ensure that maintained schools are fulfilling their statutory obligations to provide facilities for trade union representation and consultation. Academies which buy into the service will be entitled to the same benefits and will have the option to buy in September and April.

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school. Each school to pay own cover staff when their own staff are called for one of these roles or unions reps only be available out of school hours

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 11

Jury service and Magistrate support

This centrally provided service work is currently provided by Devon County Council.

And is a payment cover to schools with staff involved in Jury Service or Magistrate duties.(These areas are not covered as part of the Devon Mutual Fund Scheme)

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to provide these payments in respect of all qualifying staff. This will ensure that maintained schools fulfilling their statutory obligations to provide facilities Jury Service and Magistrate Support. Academies which buy into the service will be entitles to the same benefits.

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school. Each school to pay own cover staff when their own staff are called for one of these roles or unions reps only be available out of school hours.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 12

Maternity

This is currently provided by Devon County Council and the current model of delivery means that schools have access to the following services.

A central payment of maternity pay to all eligible school based staff.

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to provide maternity payments to all relevant staff. School to pay only maternity cover staff.

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school. Each school to pay own staff on maternity leave as well as the maternity cover staff.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Question 13

Schools in financial difficulties and exceptional events

This is currently provided by Devon County Council and the current model of delivery means that schools have access to :-

· De-delegated monies form a larger contingency pot to support schools with unexpected expenditure that may put overall budget under pressure.

· Money is allocated following a successful application to FIPS and only in exceptional circumstances.

· The Exceptional Events budget includes funding for minor re-organisation (such as federations). It also funds one off exceptional costs such as legal settlements on behalf of schools, such as critical incidents or high risk areas. By nature such costs can’t be foreseen but could impact significantly on an individual school’s budget.

· In 2014/15, 38 schools submitted a case to FIPS, of which 25 were successful and some are ongoing. £1,021,000 was paid in support of cost saving reorganisations (although note that an element of the payments relate to cases started in the previous financial year)

The options available are:

Option 1: De-delegate monies and DCC will continue to allocate contingency funds as appropriate

Option 2: Monies remain delegated to school and each school to create its own contingency pot to deal with unexpected issues. There would be no central funding available to support schools with current issues.

If you are unsure it will help us to understand if you provide comment.

Option 1 Option 2

Comments

Centrally provided services

(This section is for Mainstream and Academy Schools to vote)

Question 14

Emotional, Psychological & Social Wellbeing Service

The service by Public Health Devon is co-producing with schools a new Emotional, Psychological and Social Wellbeing Service for children and young people in Devon as an integral part of our Early Help Strategy.

The bulk of the funding comes from the Public Health grant with schools being asked to make a financial contribution of £60,000 in 2015-16 which was by way of a top slice from the Local Learning Community Funding at that time.

The options available are:

Option 1: Top-slice of £60,000 to continue to be allocated to the service co-produced by Public Health Devon and Schools

Option 2: Monies delegated back to school and each school would then need to find their own support of the current issues.