Venue: By Zoom. View directions
Contact: Katharine Flanagan-Jones, Democratic and Scrutiny Support Officer
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Apologies To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from: Officer: Emma Palmer – Interim Director Corporate Services
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Disclosures of interest To receive any disclosures of interest by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest from Members relating to items for consideration on the agenda.
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Declarations of Party Whip To receive disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.
(NB: Members are reminded that under Section 78 Members having been given a prohibited party whip cannot vote on a matter before the Committee.) Minutes: The Committee did not receive any disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011. |
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To receive and consider a report on the Schools Music Plan. Minutes: Background: · The National Plan for Music in Schools was published in the Summer Term of 2022 · Delivery to commence Sept 2022 · Investment of £4.5m per annum for 3 years, currently in the second financial year of the Plan. · Powys do not have a Music Service, therefore the Plan has provided a launchpad, after a number of years of little music within schools. · Key priorities within the plan are supporting schools and settings, building stronger music learning communities, improving health and wellbeing for all. · Poverty is not to be a barrier to accessing, taking part, or progressing in music throughout a child’s time in school. · The key priorities provide challenge to organisations across Wales to work together on the plan, schools, music charities, businesses, colleges and conservatoires and professional ensembles. · Music development within the schools programme through first and live experiences, teaching and developing music pathways. · Development of a National Instrument and Resource Library. · A First Experience is a teacher working with one class, in one school, for 1hour per week, over a 10-week period, teaching the whole class 1 instrument. This has been available to all schools within every clusters over the first 18months of the Plan. · Options of a ‘team-teaching’ approach that will support classroom and music service tutors’ professional learning available throughout Clusters. · 981 pupils across 8 clusters have accessed a First Experience within 6 months. Outcomes are that a number of children have signed up for peripatetic music lessons in string, brass, woodwind instruments. · Free instrumental lessons for EFSM learners with 167 pupils benefitting to date. · 10 weeks of funded taster sessions on a new instrument for small group of learners, with 150 pupils benefitting. · Pilot project for breakfast / lunchtime and after school clubs from September. · Music cafés pilot this summer holiday for instrument and play sessions. · Since January 2023, 3800 pupils across Powys have experienced a Live performance funded through the Music Plan. · Plans to create a residency model opportunity within Powys, working closely with the Welsh College of Music and Drama. · Challenges: - Sustainability, demand and interest is growing yet we do not have the teachers available, there is not a dedicated music service within Powys schools, the Music Grant runs until 2024, with final pieces of work carried out in 2024/25.
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School Budgets 2023-2024 PDF 287 KB To receive and consider the School Outturn Positions 31-03-2023 and Budget Plans 23/24. Minutes: · Review of last year’s position in terms of budget outturn. · Schools’ budgets submitted for the current year. · The Portfolio Holder offered thanks to the Finance Team, Headteachers, Chairs of Governing Bodies and Schools Finance committees for the work input to minimise the effect of the energy crisis, that potentially would have hit schools and in managing the staff wage increase. Work undertaken in the last 6 months has set schools in a far better place than was projected. · Adding there is a recognised pressure within the 2024/25 budget, identifying that fact that we are expecting schools to draw down from their surpluses or incur a slight deficit due to the energy costs this year.
· Table 1 of the report records the movement in school reserves during 2022-23. The columns at the end of the table show what schools had originally planned to draw from reserves and the latest forecast of transfers from reserves as at February 2023. · The outturn was better than anticipated, some of which was due to distribution of the contingency budget and the ALN retained budget at year end, but also the hard work undertaken by schools in reviewing their budgets to reduce planned expenditure. · Finance Team will continue to work with schools that showed a marked difference between forecasted and actual budget outturn to understand reasoning, trends, or patterns for future forecasting. · In the last quarter of 2022/23, we were not in receipt of the influx of grants from WG as per previous 2 financial years, as schools had received grant monies in 2020/21 and 2021/22, they were in a better position to deal with challenges last and this year. · The budgets for 2023/24 Table 2. Sets out the number of schools submitting surplus budgets, approved under the scheme for financing schools and the number reporting a deficit. · The number of schools in deficit has increased compared to same period last year. · Para.4.4 reports the number of schools where the budget set for 2023/24 results in an unlicenced deficit as at 31.03.2024. · Actions listed by the schools and / or the LA in dealing with the deficit position. · 16 schools are reported as in unlicensed positions as at 31.03.2024. There are a number of schools forecasting to be in an unlicensed position in future years, picked up in this year’s budget submissions. · Some schools have been asked to submit recovery plans, others asked to consider what actions they will take to avoid or minimise deficits in the future. · Cumulative deficit balances projected for future years do present a significant risk to the authority, Schools continue to work with the Finance Team through difficult and challenging discussions which have been positive and professional, demonstrating that the team around the school approach is working well. · Head Of Finance comments in Para 16.3, the volatile inflationary situation requires careful monitoring as does the potential wage pressures. · Appendix A sets out the escalation process to follow when a school begins to forecast a deficit. · Appendix B sets out individual school’s ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Work Programme To note that future meetings of the Committee are scheduled as follows:
Minutes: WESP update to be added for Autumn 2023 |