Hampshire Governors' Representative Group
Notes of Meeting 9th December 1998
Present: Peter High, Derek Richards, Martina Powell, Linda Lawson
Paddy Ryan, John Brailsford, Sylvia Vine, Cynthia Hicks
Jim Watt, Ian Chrystie
In Attendance: Janet Sheriton (Clerk)
Lesley Morffew, David Jones (Secondary Heads
Conference)
Paul Skinner, Lyn Bevan (Special School Heads
Conference)
Andrew Seber (CEO) from 7.00 pm
1. Apologies: Richard Kearsey, Vernon Petherick (Area 3)
Mike Loneragan (Area 4)
June Brown, Rosemary Clark (Primary Heads
Conference)
The Chairman welcomed colleagues from the Headteacher
conferences and explained that as the CEO would not arrive
before 7.00 pm that Item 3 would be taken ahead of item 2.
3. Headteacher Conference Presentations
Secondary Heads' Conference - Lesley Morffew and David Jones
highlighted the successes of Hampshire Secondary Schools as
seen in examinations and in Ofsted reports and the need to
fund them adequately to ensure continued success.
1998/99 financial year had effectively seen a cut in budgets
for secondary schools of 1.5% in real terms. Secondary
conference was currently collating the responses to a
questionnaire sent to secondary heads. Results so far
indicated:
* reserves being used to balance this year's budget
* more secondary schools in deficit
* cuts in teaching and special needs support staff
* more teachers teaching outside their specialism
* cuts in non-contact time
* increases in class sizes at KS3 and KS4
* practical class sizes over recommended levels
* option choices being reduced
Some schools were reporting:
* no development budgets/IT budgets/furniture budgets
* minimal provision for repairs and maintenance
Attention was drawn to:
* the exam budget where the LMS formula assumed a 7.88
subject entry - the reality was a 9+ subject entry with the
introduction of "average points score" to the published
tables producing pressure for more not less exam entries.
* NVQ entries were also more expensive than GCSE.
Where school rolls were rising these effects were cushioned to
some extent. Where there are static or falling rolls schools
are becoming desperate. The demands of the national
curriculum are expensive in teachers and equipment. Parents
expectations of what schools will achieve are rising.
Secondary Heads Conference priorities for the 1999/2000 budget
are to urge that the basic funding needs of secondary schools
are met and that:
* the County Council spends all money provided for education
on education
* full funding for last year's staff pay awards is in the
education base budget
* full funding is allowed for this year's pay award
* the loss of Standards Fund money to the secondary sector
occasioned by the redistribution towards primary schools to
fund the literacy hour and the NGFL is redressed.
Special School Headteacher Conference: Paul Skinner and Lyn
Bevan talked to their paper attached. Special school
headteachers were concerned that we are in danger of becoming
desensitised by successive budget squeezes and that we are in
danger of condoning mediocrity. Special schools priorities
for the 1999/2000 budget were:
* a return to circular 11/90 staffing ratios
* provision for teacher non-contact time in special schools
on a par with that in mainstream schools
* provision for sickness cover for support staff
Like colleagues in secondary and primary headteacher
conferences special schools want to urge the County Council:
* to spend all the 5.7% increase available nationally for
education on education
* to include in the 99/2000 base budget full funding for the
98/9 pay award
* to fully fund the 1999/2000 pay award
Primary Headteachers Conference - Had not been able to be
present and had provided a summary of their priorities
attached as Appendix 2.
The Heads were thanked for their presentations and responses
to questions and discussion points. They left the meeting.
2. Education Budget Prospects 1999/2000 - Andrew Seber outlined
the budget position in the current year 1998/1999 and the prospects
for 99/00 (Appendix 3):
* There would need to be a 4.2% increase in the base budget
to standstill (about £4m).
* Pressures already visible in the current year on, for
example, home to school transport,
SEN and EOTAS produced a need for a further £2.9 million.
* The large increase in Government's Standards Fund required
an additional £1.9 m contribution from the County Council.
* The Local Authority Grant Settlement for 1999/2000 for
Hampshire amounted to a 3.8% increase in overall SSA.
* The SSA settlement for education in Hampshire was for a
5.7% increase
* The SSA settlement for Social Services in Hampshire was for
a 1.0% cut. Such cuts if implemented would be deeply
damaging to the most vulnerable groups in Hampshire.
* Council tax increases were likely to be between 7 and 8% to
spend in line with the national increases.
4. HGRG discussion and agreement of budget priorities 99/00.
During discussion HGRG members highlighted:
* the high level of expectation amongst staff, governors and
parents that central government had produced for real
increases in education spending at school level
* parents would not understand if there was a 5.7% increase
in education spending why it was not visible in their
school
* the County Council must ensure that all the money made
available for improvements in education spending was spent
on education in Hampshire
* Hampshire although traditionally spending above SSA on
education was slipping down the tables compared with other
authorities. The 5.4% increase last year did not result in
apparent increases in schools
* HGRG had supported the Special Schools last year
particularly in respect of sickness cover for support staff
but it had not made any difference. At a cost of £70k it
ought to be possible to do at least this
* Governors had a responsibility to make sure that decision
makers nationally and locally understood the resource needs
of their school
* All schools were under pressure to improve standards, how
could they do this if there wasn't enough money in budgets
to meet basic curriculum needs.
It was agreed that HGRG's most effective contribution to the
budget debate would be to alert all Hampshire governing bodies
to the difficult choices that elected members had to make.
Each governing body would be urged to make sure that their
councillor was well informed about the need in that school for
the full increase in education spending in Hampshire to be
made available to schools. The Chairman would agreed a letter
to be sent to all Chairs of Governors with the Vice Chairman
and the Clerk to arrange for its distribution.
ACTION: Ian Chrystie, Jim Watt, John
Brailsford, Clerk
HGRG would join all the Headteachers Conferences in urging at
the budget consultation meeting on 11th January that the
County Council
* spend all the increase made available for education in
Hampshire on education
* to include the 98/9 pay award in full in the base budget
for 99/2000
* to fully fund the 1999/2000 pay award
5. Appointment of HGRG reps. for Budget Consultation meeting on
11th January at 1.30 pm
Ian Chrystie, Jim Watt and Linda Lawson would represent HGRG
6. Any Other Urgent Matters - The Chairman drew HGRG's attention
to a very important Green Paper on Teaching. The consultation
period ran until March and governors should be sure to respond.
This would be an Agenda item for the next HGRG meeting on
10/2/99. The Clerk was asked to look out for any useful summary
of the key provisions and issues that might become available.
ACTION: Clerk
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