Issue - meetings

That the Committee note the level of school reserves as at the 31^st March, 2021, as outlined within the report.

            The Chief Officer (Education & Youth) presented the report which provided information on the overall level of reserves held by Flintshire schools.  The level of school reserves had increased across all sectors and was in part due to the number of additional grants being awarded to schools in recognition of the issues caused by the pandemic.  These grants were awarded at a late stage during the financial year and inflated the level of school reserves. 

            Councillor Dave Mackie commented on previous discussions around the revised school funding formula and that it shouldbe changed to make it easier to update. He felt the inconsistencies in these secondary school reserves indicated that a review was now required’.  He raised concerns around the difference in funding for schools which had similar pupil numbers and suggested that because of this, the funding allocated and total funding available should be reviewed to ensure that there wasn’t such a difference in funding in different counties across Wales.  The Leader of the Council said that it was not possible compare funding for similar sized schools across different counties in Wales as there could be a number of reasons for the difference.  In Flintshire, every secondary school pupil was treated the same except for those with additional needs.  He added that a raw data comparison based on pupil numbers would depend on the type of county, with larger schools in urban areas.  Smaller rural schools were vital to provide education for pupils in the areas they lived.

            The Chief Executive agreed with the Leader comments and advised that the Council’s biggest expenditure was on education.  Flintshire remained a lower funded Council and if this increased then it would be possible to increase spend per pupil.  Despite this, the Council had increased funding where possible with limited resources.        

The recommendation, as outlined within the report, was moved and seconded by Councillor Janet Axworthy and Councillor Ian Smith.   

RESOLVED:

That the Committee note the level of school reserves as at the 31^st March, 2021, as outlined within the report.