The Schools Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the finances of schools in the borough, including updates on their balances, and an update on progress towards a new banded funding model for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. The Forum was also asked to consider whether the council should proceed with plans to recover excess balances from one of the borough's schools, and to make recommendations to the council.

Schools Balances

As at 31 March 2024, 11 schools in Hounslow had balances exceeding 8.3% of their annual funding. The Schools Forum was told that one of those schools - The Heathlands School - had exceeded the 8.3% limit for three consecutive years, and that under the council's Scheme for Financing Schools, £305,592 should be clawed back by the council. The Schools Forum was asked to consider a statement from the school's governing body and to make a recommendation to the council as to whether to proceed with the clawback. The statement from the Heathlands School's governing body argued that the surplus was necessary, and set out how it intended to spend the money. They explained that:

The context for the surplus balance has been a period of extreme uncertainty and change in the leadership of the Heathland School which has made planning and delivery of school improvement projects more difficult than would ordinarily be the case..

The statement also cited delays to a new building project, legal costs associated with the collapse of a previous IT provider, and the need to replace their astroturf pitch.

SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Programme

The Schools Forum received a presentation on the latest progress towards the implementation of a new banded funding model for SEND provision in Hounslow. The forum heard that the new model would be implemented in September 2025, and would cover four areas of need:

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction,
• Sensory and Physical
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

The new model will allocate funding for each child based on the complexity of their needs, with more complex needs receiving more funding.

Trade Union Facility Time

The Schools Forum was also asked to agree to continue the existing arrangements for schools' contributions towards trade union facility time. Under the proposals, maintained schools would contribute a combined total of £84,682 towards the cost of allowing teachers in those schools to take time away from teaching to undertake trade union activities. This is a legal requirement under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, which states that:

An employer must permit an employee of his who is certified as a trade union representative to take such time off during the employee’s working hours as is necessary for the purposes of enabling him— (a)to carry out those duties as are reasonable for him to carry out as a representative of a trade union in relation to the employer or employer’s association, and (b)to undergo training relevant to those duties,

Hounslow Education Partnership

The Schools Forum received the Hounslow Education Partnership's annual report for the year ending 31 August 2024. The report showed that the organisation had an annual income of £509,000 and expenditure of £511,000. The report set out the organisation's strategic priorities as being:

• Raise standards through continued school improvement
• Build and promote beneficial connections and partnerships for members, within and outside the partnership
• Identify and meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and young people
• Invest in support for building and maintaining high quality teaching and inspirational school leadership.