Apologies were received from, Dan Brearey, Andy Gosling, Georgie Griffin, Sian Lines, Hayley Manns and Sheila Taylor.

Officers

Rachael Hart, Head of Strategic Finance.

David Willis for Georgie Griffin and Gemma Martin for Sian Lines.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda.

There were no declaration of interests.  

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2024.

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2024 be approved as a correct record.

The chair welcomed the Strategic Finance Manager (SFM) and Management Accountant (MA) to the forum following Malcolm Green’s resignation. It was explained that they would both be filling the role Malcolm had undertaken with the Management Accountant leading on more of the day-to-day issues affecting schools whilst a recruitment to fill that position had been conducted.

The Service Director, Education, Skills and Learning welcomed the SFM and MA to the forum. She offered her sincere thanks to Malcolm Green for the tremendous work he had undertaken for the Local Authority over many years providing great stability and support to all schools, and that he would be really be missed. She explained that in the interim the SFM and MA would be covering Malcolm’s work whilst firm plans were established in finding a permanent replacement. An update should be able to be provided in the autumn term.

To receive a report on the annual review of membership of Herefordshire Schools Forum and Budget Working Group and to approve any action necessary to maintain proportionality.

The clerk to the Schools Forum presented the report.

It was explained that using the spring 2024 School Census the annual review of membership had been conducted for the forum to ensure the allocation of seats remained proportionate. As the findings suggested at paragraph 9 of the report, there had been a slight change to the number of seats for Maintained Primary Schools having 7 seats currently allocated and the data showing this should be 6. The suggested recommendation was that the forum simply remove a seat from the Maintained Primary Schools decreasing the current membership of the forum to 25. The forum currently had a vacant seat for Maintained Primary Schools and after a drive to fill vacancies last year it was evident that there was not the uptake to fill vacancies.

There had also been changes to the Budget Working Group (BWG), as shown at paragraph 11 of the report however it was felt that the group provided an appropriate spread of membership to represent the various types of school in Herefordshire and to adopt changes would create vacancies that are likely to remain unfilled whilst having to remove current members who regularly attend and contribute to the working group. A number of schools converting to academies are also in the pipeline and therefore it was recommended that the BWG remains the same with another review being undertaken next year.

No comments were received from the forum.

RESOLVED:

That:

a) The outcome of the annual review of proportionality was noted;

b) The allocation of seats for the Herefordshire Schools Forum is reduced to 25 seats, 1 seat being removed from Maintained Primary Schools.

c) No changes are made to The Budget Working Group.

To approve dates for meetings to be held and the work programme for the forum for 2024/25 academic year.

The following dates are suggested:

Friday, 18 October 2024 9:30am

Friday, 24 January 2025 9:30am

Friday, 14 March 2025 9:30am

Friday, 11 July 2025 9:30am

The proposed meeting dates and work programme for the forum for 2024/25 were noted. No objections were raised.

Friday, 18 October 2024 9:30am

Friday, 24 January 2025 9:30am

Friday, 14 March 2025 9:30am

Friday, 11 July 2025 9:30am

The Chairperson thanked all those in attendance. Special thanks were given to; Malcolm Green for all his hard work and dedication to the forum and budget working group over many years and that he would be greatly missed. Thanks were also expressed for Steven Kendrick and Christine Bryan who had also left the forum. Steven would be remaining on the budget working group. Members of the forum endorsed the chair’s comments.