This meeting of the Schools Forum was scheduled to involve discussions of the financial health of the borough's schools, including those with both excess balances and those in deficit, as well as the finances of the Hounslow Education Partnership. Councillors were also scheduled to receive a presentation about the SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Programme Update.

The most significant item on the agenda was to be the appeal from The Heathland School against a proposed clawback of funds from the school's excess balances.

The Heathland School appeal against clawback of excess balances

At the previous meeting of the Schools Forum, it was decided that the council should initiate the clawback process in relation to the excess balances held by The Heathland School. The school was subsequently invited to make representations to the forum about why their excess balances, totalling £305,592, should not be clawed back.

The report stated that:

Schools who have held balances held in excess of 8.3% of their school funding for three consecutive financial years should expect their excess balance at the end of the third consecutive financial year to be clawed back by the Council. Any balances that are clawed back will be earmarked to offset shortfalls in the High Needs DSG budgets.

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The Heathland School's representation to the Schools Forum argued that the school's balances have been held in reserve to fund a series of building projects, including:

• a new wellbeing centre
• replacement of the school's astroturf
• upgrades to the school's IT infrastructure
• a new reception area
• refurbishment of the school's toilets

The report noted that these building works have been undertaken during a period of instability in the school's leadership, with four headteachers in post between July 2022 and June 2023.

Hounslow Education Partnership Annual Report

Councillors were scheduled to receive a report on the activities of the Hounslow Education Partnership, a schools company set up by 73 Hounslow schools in 2018. The report was to update the forum on the financial position of the company and its plans for the future.

Expenditure funded from the Schools Block

Councillors were asked to note a report on the proposed de-delegation of funds from the Schools Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

The Schools Block is the part of the Dedicated Schools Grant that is allocated to individual schools. Hounslow, like other local authorities, retains a proportion of the Schools Block for central services, such as the administration of free school meals.

The report sought the agreement of the forum to continue funding free school meals eligibility and staff costs for supply cover (for trade union duties). These costs are to be met by top-slicing the budgets of individual schools.

SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Programme Update

Councillors were scheduled to receive a presentation updating them on the SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Programme.

School Balances 2023/24

This item was scheduled to cover two separate issues:

1. Councillors were to receive an update on the financial position of schools in the borough at the end of the 2023/24 financial year. In particular, the report noted that eleven schools in the borough had excess balances at the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
2. Councillors were also asked to make a decision on whether to claw back excess balances from schools that have held excess balances for three consecutive years.

Finance update

Councillors were scheduled to receive an update on the Dedicated Schools Grant. This is the main source of funding for schools in England. The report was to cover a number of issues, including the projected DSG projection for 2024-25, the High Needs budget, and updates from the DfE.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 14th October 2024 and Matters Arising

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Schools Forum were scheduled to be agreed.