To inform Schools Forum about the Herefordshire Community Strategy, the Herefordshire Partnership and the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and opportunities/implications for schools.

The Forum was informed about the Herefordshire Community Strategy, the Herefordshire Partnership and the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the opportunities and implications these had for schools.

The Herefordshire Partnership Manager explained that the Herefordshire Community Strategy (HCS), of which a summary version was handed out at the meeting, had been launched in June 2006.  The HCS set out a vision for Herefordshire to be achieved by 2020.  To this end four themes had been devised with a range of outcomes set.  The themes set out in the HCS were used as the basis for funding applications.  Children and Young People was one of the themes of the HCS.  The HCS was also the basis for Herefordshire Council’s corporate plan.

The Herefordshire Partnership itself was a group of public, private sector, community and voluntary organisations.  The Partnership consists of a Board which leads on policy development.  There is also a Chief Executives Group which turns the policy into action through their respective organisations.  Finally there is a Performance Monitoring Group which monitors performance against key performance indicators and recommended actions.

The LAA is a formal agreement between National Government and Local Authorities.  The LAA identifies priorities for action from HCS and is the main way in which it will be delivered.  All local organisations and sectors that work together have joint responsibility for achieving the LAA.  Herefordshire Partnership is responsible for developing, monitoring and reporting progress on the LAA.

The Principal Partnership Officer explained that the LAA currently contained 124 targets which were measured by the government.  The new government white paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ had signalled the intention to work this number down to 35 targets plus 18 targets from the DfES.

The targets needed to be agreed between the Partnership and its partners.

The reduction in targets was combined with reduced monitoring and ring fencing of individual funding streams.  In future funding will be received in one block rather than individual pots.  This will allow more freedom and flexibility in how the funding is used.

It was reiterated to the Forum that the government wanted to see positive outcomes achieved as a result of LAA funding being spent.  There were some difficulties with timing that needed resolving between the LAA year (April-March) and the school year (September-August).

Currently there were nine funding streams, as identified in the report, pooled together.  This situation was expected to be repeated next year.  The pooled grants included key budgets for schools.

The Director for Children’s Services informed the Forum that she was a Member of the Partnership Board as Chair of the Herefordshire Children’s Trust so she would be able to represent their views at a high level.  The Chief Executive’s group was the body that made the final decisions where the Director would be represented by the Chief Executive of Herefordshire Council.

The Forum was advised that it’s Membership was restricted to a maximum of 20 Members and following the earlier request to increase the number of secondary school members on the Forum a representative of the Partnership would not be able to added as a formal Member.  It was suggested that the Partnership could be allocated observer status on the Forum alongside the Learning and Skills Council and Early Years and Childcare Partnership.

The Finance Manager explained that the grants featured in the report were worth a total of £1.7m.  He stated that the vast majority of these grants paid for staff.

In response to a question the Partnership Manager explained that a significant amount of consultation work had been undertaken with the Children’s Services Directorate including the implications of the Children and Young People’s Plan.

A Member of the Forum stated that wide-ranging work that the Partnership was involved in was illuminating and even though schools had a role to play she thought that felt small compared to the wider context of the Children’s Trust and the emerging Primary Service Trust.  There was also the possibility that the level of funding devolved to the Partnership for schools could increase so it was important that schools engaged with the Partnership.

The Head of Commissioning and Improvement explained that he envisaged the Forum expanding its role to monitor the way that the Partnership allocated and managed its resources for schools in the same way that it did so for the council.  He felt that the areas identified in the report where the money was spent at the current time were appropriate and suggested that the money available be spent in similar areas this year.

The Director of Children’s Services reassured the Forum that she planned to bid to increase the level of funding available to schools through the LAA>

The Finance Manager stated that there was a need to integrate the schools budget process with the LAA proposals.

RESOLVED:

That:

(a)       The budget cycle for the Local Area Agreement funding is integrated with the Schools Budget planning process;

(b)      Herefordshire Schools Forum to ensure that it participates in any consultative work required by the Herefordshire Partnership;

(c)       Herefordshire Schools Forum to support the Director of Children’s Services in her work with the Herefordshire Partnership;

(d)      consideration be given to granting a representative of Herefordshire Partnership observer status on the Forum;

(e)      a representative of Herefordshire Partnership be invited to meet with the Primary Head’s Group and Herefordshire Association of Secondary Heads as soon as possible;

and;

(f)        details of the Herefordshire Partnerships Membership and decision-making structures be circulated for information.

The meeting adjourned at 10.56 am and reconvened at 11.10 am.