Shropshire to see £2.5 million cut in school support

The Government's decision to remove the "general duties element" of education services grant from September 2017 has resulted in an overall reduction in education funding for Shropshire of £2.5m in 2018/19.

A report being discussed by Shropshire Council's cabinet today says that the funding for school improvement services has reduced as a result and cannot fund the current structure of the council's Education Improvement Service (EIS).

The EIS helps improve schools which are considered to be struggling, and also ensures the welfare and safeguarding of pupils.

In 2015 the EIS was restructured and the service was reduced by 50 per cent.

Now the authority's People Overview Committee will recommend that cabinet approves another reduction in the number of education improvement advisers from September, and a further reduction of services from April 2019.

But, the report says there is "substantial risk" that the reduced service will result in declining outcomes for pupils.

It suggests that fewer schools could be judged by Ofsted to be good or outstanding.

Should the council wish to maintain the current structures for the EIS and Business Support Team, in the financial years 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 it would be necessary for the council to spend an extra £276,000.

The report says: "The EIS ensures that the council meets its statutory duty to promote high standards and ensure the welfare of all pupils regardless of whether they attend a local authority (LA) maintained school or an academy."

Maintained

There are 150 state-funded schools in Shropshire – 107 are maintained by the council, and the remaining 43 consist of academies and one free school.

Approximately half of the academies buy back school improvement services through the EIS.

As the number of LA maintained schools reduce, the levels of funding that can be secured through this route in future years will reduce, as will the responsibility to provide support, the report says.

Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for children’s services and education, said the Government has "significantly reduced" the funding to councils for school improvement.

He said: “The report being discussed at cabinet this Wednesday is about re-positioning Shropshire Council in line with the Government’s thinking about the role of local authorities and education going forwards.

“It will allow the council to focus on its statutory functions, and for schools to work collaboratively to provide school to school support for improving educational outcomes. The Government has significantly reduced the funding to councils for school improvement, and sees funding for this purpose being redirected for school to school improvement through teaching partnerships.

“There are four teaching partnerships in Shropshire. The recommendations ask cabinet to agree that this is the direction that this council takes, in line with Government policy, and to operate within the reduced funding envelope for statutory functions.

“Schools do currently pay for improvement services required by their school. The council is currently commissioned by many schools to deliver their improvement services, although they do not have to buy their services from Shropshire Council and can buy this service from a number of other providers. The second recommendation asks cabinet to agree that the council will not provide this traded service. The council will continue to trade other services to schools.”