Agenda item

Appendix A

Kirklees Schools Forum

CONSTITUTION AND TERMS OF REFERENCE – SEPTEMBER 2021

BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES

The Kirklees Schools Forum is operated in accordance with the Department for Education and Skills ‘Schools Forums (England) Regulations 2012’ which lays down the statutory instruments in respect of the establishment of the forum, membership, and constitutional, procedural and administrative matters. The regulations were updated in 2020 to allow remote meetings to take place.

The purpose of the Kirklees Schools Forum is to provide unambiguous professional advice and strategic direction from Headteachers to education decision-makers regarding the funding of schools. The forum is a representative group of service providers who are required to use the variety of funding streams to ensure coherent educational provision for children and young people to maximise the positive impact of funding on the quality of teaching & learning and standards.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1.1.       The Kirklees Schools Forum provides a formal channel of communication between Kirklees LA and schools and serves as the principal mechanism for consultation and decision making relating to the funding of schools.

1.2.       The Forum consults on any proposed changes to the school funding formula, and specifically any changes in relation to the factors and criteria, methods, principles and rules used to calculate schools budgets and the financial effects of any proposed changes.

1.3   The Forum acts as a consultative body on issues relating to:

-          Changes to the local funding formula

-          Proposed changes to the operation of the minimum funding guarantee

-          Changes to new contracts affecting schools

-          Arrangements for the education of pupils with special educational needs, in pupil referral units and in early years provision.

1.4 The Forum is responsible for decisions on:

-      The amount of funding to be centrally retained within the Dedicated Schools Grant

-      Proposed carry forward of deficits on central spend from one year to the next

-      Proposals for de-delegation of funding from maintained primary and secondary schools

-      Changes to the scheme of financial management

MEMBERSHIP

2.    There is no maximum or minimum size of a schools forum. However, the forum will be kept to a reasonable size in order to ensure that it does not become too unwieldy. The membership shall be divided into school and non-school members, ensuring fair representation across all phases including early learning providers and the Pupil Referral Units, and including representation from local academies. The mechanisms for nominations of members, and their terms of office, are outlined in the Forum Protocols.

3.    The non-school members will constitute a maximum of one-third of the total membership of the Forum to represent PVI providers of early learning and childcare, teaching unions, and Post 16 providers.

4.    The schools members, who are drawn from headteachers/principals of existing schools and academies, must number at least two-thirds of the total membership of the schools forum. The balance between maintained primary, maintained secondary and academies must be broadly proportionate to the pupils in each category (confirmed by an annual review of pupil numbers). There is no requirement for academies members to represent specific primary and secondary phases, but representation in this category will remain broadly proportionate to pupil numbers. Of the total number of places available on the Forum for school members there shall be one representative for governors, special schools, the Pupil Referral Units, middle schools and nursery schools.

5.    Kirklees Council elected members, including the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, are invited to attend meetings but may not be appointed as a member of the Forum. Other interested parties may be invited to attend meetings, in line with the Forum protocols. A representative from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) may attend as an observer and participate in discussions to support the local process and provide a national perspective.

6.    The Local Authority is represented by an officer nominated by the Director of Children and Young People’s Service and by the Chief Finance Officer. Additional officers attend, as invited, to contribute to discussion or set agenda items.

7.    The composition and membership of the Kirklees Schools Forum is available online on the Kirklees Council Schools Forum website. All representatives or nominatives shall be appointed as members for an initial term of three years, which may subsequently be reviewed through re-election or re-nomination in a subsequent process.

ADMINISTRATION

8.    The clerking and officer support arrangements for Kirklees Schools Forum are provided through the appointed representatives from Council Finance and Children and Young People’s Service

9.    Forum meeting papers (current and past) are available online on the Schools Forum webpage Browse meetings - Kirklees Schools Forum | Kirklees Council.  Agendas and minutes are available 5 working days before each public meeting, and circulated to all members electronically. 

CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

10.Timing and Frequency of Meetings

Public meetings of the Forum will take place on at least three occasions per year/one occasion per term. However, the volume of business may require meetings to take place more frequently. The dates, times and Venues of public meetings are published on the Schools Forum webpage.

11.Quorum

For Schools Forum to be quorate, 40% of members must be present.  Inquorate meetings may proceed, but any key decisions may be deferred to a future meeting to ensure full representation of views.

12.Substitution

Members of the Forum may nominate appropriate substitutes, representing the same group of providers, to attend meetings in their place in the event that they are unable to attend themselves. Substitutions for school representatives can only be by headteachers from the same constituent group.

13.Voting

The decisions and recommendations required of the Kirklees Schools Forum will be agreed at the start of discussion. On items relating to funding formulae, only schools, academy and PVI setting members can vote.

The Forum aims to arrive at such decisions and recommendations by actively building a consensus around a proposed course of action.  Details of situations requiring a vote and voting procedures can be found in the protocols.

14.Declarations of Interest

Schools Forum members should, for reasons of probity, be aware of circumstances in which they should withdraw from meetings due to a conflict of personal interest.

15. Right of Attendance

Kirklees School Forum Public Meetings are open to all. The Forum may also invite, by agreement, individuals to attend a meeting to provide information or reports. Visitors should be asked to leave if confidential items are discussed, unless the Forum have asked them to take part in a specific discussion. Additional briefing meetings may be called to enable discussion on detailed areas of funding in line with the ESFA timetable for the submission of information.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR

16. Election of Chair / Vice Chair

The Forum shall elect a chair and vice chair by a majority of votes cast on an annual basis at the first meeting in the academic year. The term of office of the chair will run until the first meeting in the following academic year

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

17. Sub Groups

The Kirklees Schools Forum may establish sub groups and/or working groups on an adhoc basis for the consideration of specific matters as it deems necessary and shall decide upon the terms of reference for such groups and on additional individuals to invite as deemed necessary. The Forum shall consider the work of such sub groups or Working Groups and shall make decisions or recommendations to the LA as appropriate.

18. Kirklees Schools Forum budget / members' expenses

Forum determines the annual budget for meeting costs and support, and reimburses all reasonable expenses incurred by members engaged in the work of the Forum.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR REVIEW AND REVISION

19. Review of Terms of Reference:

The Terms of Reference, and associated protocols, are reviewed annually at the start of the new academic year, and more frequently as national changes and regulations require.