Issue - meetings

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of 16 September 2021.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Forum on 16 September 2021 be approved as a correct record.

Arising from minute 196, Cherry Hall would present an update on the collation of SEN data for the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment under Item 4 (2021-22 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment).

Also arising from minute 196, Cheryl Eyre would present an update on the progress of the High Needs Block (HNB) action plan under Item 5 (High Needs Block: Update on Progress). However, the Chair proposed that Item 7 (The Schools Budget: 2021-22 Budget Monitoring) be presented prior to Item 5 to provide context. This was agreed by the Forum.

Arising from minute 197, Paul Clark had completed the financial consultation with schools, and this would be presented under Item 8 (Outcomes from the October 2021 Financial Consultation with Schools).

Also arising from minute 197, the Forum had agreed a number of requests to be made to the Department for Education (the DfE). Paul Clark updated that four requests had been submitted and that the DfE had already agreed to two of those requests; the key one being that the DfE had approved that the council continues to provide additional funding from local authority Reserves to support the additional diseconomy costs arising from the new schools funded on the Start-up and Diseconomy funding policy for new and expanding schools. The council was still awaiting other responses, but it was not unusual for requests to be considered by the DfE at different times.