Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Ms R L Dent and Mr M J Hart (Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education and Skills).

To accommodate officer availability, the Chairman agreed to alter the order of the agenda items.  Item 6 (COVID-19 Education Update) would be considered before Item 5 (Performance, In-Year Budget Monitoring and 2021/22 Budget).

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 28 January 2021).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/e-mail address below.

None.

(previously circulated)

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 November 2020 were agreed as a correct record and would be signed by the Chairman.

The Director of Education and Early Help and the Assistant Director, Education Quality and Improvement updated the Panel on developments relating to the national lockdown and implications for Worcestershire settings and schools and the handling of Covid-19 cases and mass testing in settings and schools.

By way of introduction, the Director of Education and Early Help made the following points:

·       Members were reminded that, at the time of the Panel’s last update in November, schools were open to all children.  DfE reporting figures for December showed an attendance rate of 89.5% in Worcestershire schools.

·       The national lockdown from 5 January meant that schools were providing on site education for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers.  This included all children with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

·       Since the lockdown, attendance rates were in the region of 15% across all Worcestershire schools, approximately 1% higher than national figures.

·       Members were informed that the County Council had committed a further £300k to provide additional IT devices for schools.

·       In relation to free school meals, it was confirmed that vouchers would be provided again during February half term and the Easter holidays.  Schools were used to this system and had developed good methods of communication with parents.

·       Ofsted had carried out some virtual visits last term and monitoring inspections of schools most in need of support would be carried out during the spring term.  External exams for the 2020/21 academic year had been suspended.

·       Worcestershire Children First (WCF) and Public Health colleagues continued to work with schools on infection prevention control.

·       Provision for testing in secondary schools was now in place (including in special schools) and testing of primary school staff was now starting.

·       Home to school transport arrangements were working smoothly, albeit with reduced need.

·       The health and wellbeing of the school community, both staff and pupils, remained a focus.

·       Approximately 50% of eligible children were attending Early Years settings with more than 90% of settings remaining open.  Early Years staff were being prioritised for community testing.

The Assistant Director, Education Quality and Improvement provided the Panel with a presentation on remote learning which aimed to supplement the agenda report with real life examples.  The following main points were made:

·       Members were reminded that, with reference to remote learning, no one size fits all and schools would adapt their provision to fit their circumstances.

·       Examples of approaches taken by schools were outlined.  Some secondary schools had chosen initially to deliver all lessons live via Teams following their normal timetable.  However, some were now reviewing this approach, adding a 10 minute break between lessons to allow for movement, refreshment and preparation for the next lesson.

·       Tutor time was felt to be essential as a way of talking to pupils outside of formal lessons.

·       Some schools had chosen to offer pre-recorded lessons and this worked better for families where multiple children were accessing remote learning on one device.

·       Live lessons were not so beneficial for younger children.  Some schools had chosen  ...  view the full minutes text for item 471.

As part of the budget scrutiny process, the Panel considered the 2021/22 draft budget for areas within its remit.  The Panel was also updated on performance and in-year financial information.

The Chief Financial Officer gave a presentation updating the Panel on the 2021/22 draft budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan.  The following main points were made:

·       The Agenda papers for the 4 February Cabinet meeting had now been published and it was confirmed that the figures in relation to this Panel’s remit showed no change.

·       Although this had been the most difficult budget for 20 years, the process of working with the Board of Worcestershire Children First (WCF) had gone well and he thanked Board Members and Directors for their work.  The budget development process had been ongoing since July.

·       The overall Council budget showed £26.5m of funding pressures including £7.7m for WCF.  An additional £9m had been received in grants, £5.9m of which was in the form of a Covid-19 grant.  This had been a one-off in the first quarter and the Council waited to see if further grants would be provided.

·       The slow down in the speed of house building meant that the New Homes Bonus was less this year.

·       Overall, the Council needed to find over £10m in savings.  £7.1m had been identified £3m of which were in WCF.  £3m would be covered by the potential use of reserves.

·       Final figures for the Council Tax Grant were not yet known but if worse than expected, reserves would be used as a one off.  Figures for the schools capital grant were not yet known and may not be available until April or May.

·       Members were reminded that there had been a delay in the Fairer Funding Review and the resolution of provision for the Higher Needs Block.  The Council would continue to lobby in these areas.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and the following main points were raised:

·       The Chairman suggested that this was the most complex budget he had seen in his 25 years as a councillor.  The Chief Financial Officer reminded Members that, in relation to council tax, in an ordinary year any deficit would need to be resolved in the following year.  However, this could now be spread over 3 years.  He suggested that the Panel should monitor the capital budget alongside the revenue budget and this could be reported on a quarterly basis.

·       A question was asked about the detail of the local government income compensation scheme.  It was confirmed that the scheme referred to by the Panel Member was predominantly used by district councils.

The Director of Resources (WCF) outlined specific budget information in relation to children and families, reminding the Panel that they had discussed emerging issues in November and the report showed no surprises.  Points made included:

·       The budget setting process had been good, as had WCF’s internal governance via the Risk, Governance and Audit Board and the main WCF Board.

·       The overspend on safeguarding placements was part of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 472.

The Panel reviewed its work programme and the following points were noted:

·       As agreed, a detailed discussion on NEETs would be added to the work programme for consideration following the May County Council elections.

·       Headteachers would be invited to the Panel’s 16 March meeting to join the discussion on educational outcomes.

The following comments on the 2021/22 draft budget were agreed and would be fed back to the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board on 3 February:

• Members were concerned about the ongoing significant cost pressures in relation to the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, and the resulting deficit of around £10.5m which will be carried forward into 2021/22.  The Panel was concerned about how this deficit will be dealt with when the time-limited accounting regulations expire but understands that this will be dependent on future decisions by central Government.  Members noted that the Council continues to lobby on this.
• The Panel highlighted the fact that £0.1m has been included in the WCF budget for pay inflation in line with the pay freeze announced by the Chancellor and noted that this would be insufficient if national negotiations between local government and trade unions resulted in a higher pay award.
• The Panel noted the pressure on the Home to School Transport budget and was concerned that continuing requirements for covid security and social distancing on school transport once all children returned to school would result in additional costs and further budget pressures.
• Members noted the risk that the demand-led Placements budget could exceed allocated funds by up to £2m and the proposal to mitigate this risk by using the £1.1m risk reserve, leaving a £0.9m overspend.  The Panel sought assurance that mitigating this risk through the use of reserves was sustainable.
• The Panel noted the postponement of the Government’s Fair Funding Review and wished to support the Council’s ongoing lobbying in this area.

Members noted that it was the final Panel meeting for the Director of Children’s Services who was leaving the authority shortly to take up a new post.  Members wished to formally record their thanks to the Director for her fantastic service to the County and for leaving the service in a far better state than when she arrived.