Schools Forum

• High Needs Block Funding 2025/26 updated(PDF 155KB)

• Planning of School Places 2024(PDF 9.7MB)

Related documents:

Item 7

• School Funding Formula for 2024/25(PDF 279KB)

Item 8

• Growth Fund Summary(PDF 59KB)

Item 12

• HNB Deficit Plan Schools Forum Jan 2024(PDF 567KB)
• The Scheme for Financing Schools 2024(PDF 405KB)

(An addendum was requested to this report. The report was included in the meeting held 12th January).

(This document is not fully accessible, please contact Helen Smith if an alternative is required).

There are 18 members:

Representation Type	Name	Term to	School or Establishment
Secondary Headteacher	Vacant
Secondary Headteacher (Academy)	Stuart Hillary	25th May 2027	Park Lane
Secondary Governor (Academy)	Stephen Baines	25th May 2027	Trinity MAT
Bursar (Academy)	Ivan Kuzio	3rd June 2027	Trinity MAT
Bursar (Academy)	Adam McNichol	27th June 2027	Hebden Royd
Headteacher (Maintained)	Vacant
Headteacher (Maintained)	Mungo Sheppard	31st August 2027	Ash Green Primary
Primary Governor	Louise Downing	25th May 2027	Cross Lane
Primary Governor	Gareth Morris	25th May 2027	Ferney Lee
Secondary Governor	Vacant
Headteacher (Special)	Debbie Sweet	13th January 2027	Highbury
Headteacher (Substitute)	Alice Leadbitter	No date	Todmorden CE J, I & N
Governor (Academy)	Rachel Harling	31st July 2027	St. Augustines
Governor (Academy)	Karen Morley	24th January 2026	Scout Road Primary
Governor (Academy)	John Eccleston	31st August 2027	Warley Road Primary
Headteacher (Academy)	Richard Horsfield	31st August 2027	Brighouse High
Headteacher (Academy)	Dan Burns	31st August 2027	Old Earth Primary
Alternative Provision (Academy)	Philip Hannah	1st January 2026	TWAPA
Academy (Substitute)	Vacant
Academy Bursar (substitute)	David Sheard	No date	Trinity MAT
Early Years Rep	Denise Gwizdak	20th September 2026	Pye Nest Day Nursery
Early Years Rep	Andrea Dyson	20th September 2026	Tot Spot Day Nursery
Church	Brenda Monteith	31st August 2027	Catholic Church
Church	Vacant		Church of England
Calderdale Federation of Education Staff Unions	Hamish Heald	1st September 2027	NEU
Post-16 Rep	Karl Veltman	15th June 2026	Calderdale College

Background, purpose and principles

The Calderdale Schools Forum is operated in accordance with the Department for Education and Skills (now DFE) 'Schools Forums (England) Regulations 2012' which lays down the statutory instruments in respect of the establishment of the forum, membership, and constitutional, procedural and administrative matters. The regulations were updated in 2020 to allow remote meetings to take place with a further update in 2021 allow for remote meetings to be permanent.

The purpose of the Calderdale Schools Forum is to provide unambiguous professional advice and strategic direction from forum members to education decision-makers regarding the funding of schools. The forum is a representative group of service providers who are required to use the variety of funding streams to ensure coherent educational provision for children and young people to maximise the positive impact of funding on the quality of teaching & learning and standards.

The Calderdale Schools Forum is based upon the operational good practice guidance documents which include the Operational Good Practice Guide, Schools Forum powers and responsibilities, Schools Forum structure and the Schools Forum self-assessment tool.

• Schools forum operational and good practice guide (GOV.UK).

Terms of reference

The Calderdale Schools Forum provides a formal channel of communication between Calderdale LA and schools (and other service providers) and serves as the principal mechanism for consultation and decision-making relating to the funding of schools.

The Forum consults on any proposed changes to the school funding formula, and specifically any changes in relation to the factors and criteria, methods, principles and rules used to calculate schools' budgets and the financial effects of any proposed changes.

The Forum acts as a consultative body on issues relating to:

• Changes to the local funding formula.
• Proposed changes to the operation of the minimum funding guarantee.
• Changes to new contracts affecting schools.
• Arrangements for the education of pupils with special educational needs, in pupil referral units and in early years provision.

The Forum is responsible for decisions on:

• The amount of funding to be centrally retained within the Dedicated Schools Grant.
• Proposed carry forward of deficits on central spend from one year to the next.
• Proposals for de-delegation of funding from maintained primary and secondary schools.

Changes to the scheme of financial management.

Membership

There is no maximum or minimum size of a Schools Forum. However, the Calderdale Schools Forum will be kept to a reasonable size to ensure that it does not become too unwieldy. The membership shall be divided into school and non-school members, ensuring fair representation across all phases including early learning providers, special schools and the Pupil Referral Units, and including representation from Academies.

The non-school members will constitute a maximum of one-third of the total membership of the Forum to represent PVI providers of early learning and childcare, teaching unions, the Catholic Church, The Church of England Church and Post 16 providers.

The school members, who are drawn from headteachers/principals, governors and academy representatives, must number at least two-thirds of the total membership of the Schools Forum. The balance between maintained primary and secondary and academies must be broadly proportionate to the pupils in each category (confirmed by an annual review of pupil numbers). There is no requirement for academies members to represent specific primary and secondary phases, representation in this category will remain broadly proportionate to overall pupil numbers in all schools but consideration will be given to appropriate primary and secondary academy representation. Of the total number of places available on the Forum for school members there shall be one representative for special schools and one representative of the pupil referral unit.

Calderdale Council elected members, including the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, are invited to attend meetings but may not be appointed as a member of the Forum. Other interested parties may be invited to attend meetings. A representative from the DFE (previously Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA)) may attend as an observer and participate in discussions to support the local process and provide a national perspective.

The Local Authority is represented by an officer nominated by the Director of Children and Young People's Service and by the Chief Finance Officer. Additional officers attend, as invited, to contribute to discussion or set agenda items. A further section “Right to Attend” is added below.

The composition and membership of the Calderdale Schools Forum is available online on the Calderdale Council Schools Forum website. All representatives or nominatives shall be appointed as members for an initial term of three years, which may subsequently be reviewed through re-election or re-nomination in a subsequent process.

Members who will be unable to attend a meeting will be required to give apologies to the clerk prior to the meeting. Any member who does not attend two subsequent meetings and does not have apologies accepted will be required to stand down and a replacement member will be elected. A member shall vacate membership of the forum if they cease to be a member of the constituent group that they represent.

Officers employed by the LA who have a role in the strategic resource management of the LA are barred as a school forum member.

Trust boards (or governing bodies) of academies will be responsible for the election of academy representatives, other groups will be responsible for the method they adopt to select their representatives.

Election of Members

The election of Schools Forum members must be undertaken in a fair and transparent process, for academies this is the role of the proprietor, for maintained schools this is a task undertaken by Governor Support.

For academies this task will be undertaken by Governor Support subject to agreement by Schools Forum.

The third category for academies (Academy Representatives) will be selected from academy CFO’s (or equivalent) in the first instance, if no nominations are received the Governor Support will open this up to other positions within the academies. If insufficient academy heads or governors/trustees are nominated the positions will be open to other academy representatives.

Nolan Principles

Forum members will adhere to the Nolan Principles

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public officeholder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public officeholders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Administration

The clerk to Schools Forum will record the terms of office of school forum members and assist in the selection of school forum members.

Forum meeting papers (current and past) are available online at:

Calderdale Schools Forum web page.

Agendas and minutes are available 5 working days before each public meeting and circulated to all members electronically.

Papers

Recommendations in reports should identify whether the forum is deciding, recommending, advising or expressing a view. This should also be indicated on the agenda, using the codes identified below.

• Decision (D)
• Information (I)
• Consultation (C)

Timing and frequency of meetings

• Public meetings of the Forum will take place on at least four occasions per year. However, the volume of business or exceptional needs may require meetings to take place more frequently. The dates, times and Venues of public meetings are published on the Schools Forum webpage.
• All meetings will be open to the press and public.

Special Meetings

• A special meeting may be called for during a meeting if a simple majority of those in attendance agree.
• A special meeting may be called by writing to the clerk to the forum. The letter must be signed by at least 1/3 of the forum membership (i.e. six or more people).

Urgent Items

If there are urgent items of business and a meeting of the Forum is not imminent the Chair, in consultation with the Vice Chair, shall email members to seek the necessary approval.

If any member does not wish to make a decision in this way a special meeting be arranged.

Quorum

• For Schools Forum to be quorate, 40% of members must be present. Inquorate meetings may proceed, but any key decisions may be deferred to a future meeting to ensure full representation of views.

Substitution

• Members of the Forum may nominate appropriate substitutes to attend meetings in their place if they are unable to attend themselves. Named substitutes will be agreed by school forum.
• Substitutions for school representatives can only be by the same constituent group.
• Named substitutes have the same rights of the full member whilst they attend the meeting in place of the full member.
• Any substitutes provided by a member who was not previously named and approved by Schools Forum will not be allowed to participate as a substitute member unless invited to participate by other forum members.
• Members who are unable to attend a forum meeting should contact the clerk. A named substitute should be notified to the clerk in advance of the meeting.

Voting

• The decisions and recommendations required of the Calderdale Schools Forum will be agreed at the start of discussion. On items relating to funding formulae, only schools, academy and PVI setting members can vote.
• The Forum aims to arrive at such decisions and recommendations by actively building a consensus around a proposed course of action. Details of situations requiring a vote and voting procedures can be found in the protocols.

Declarations of interest

• A member with a personal interest should disclose that interest at the start of the meeting or at any point during the meeting when the interest becomes apparent.
• Schools Forum members should, for reasons of probity, be aware of circumstances in which they should withdraw from meetings due to a conflict of personal interest. (A member with personal interest has a prejudicial interest if it is likely to prejudice the members judgement of the public interest).

Right to Attendance

The following individuals may speak at forum meetings:

• The Director of Children and Young People’s Services of the authority, or their representative.
• The Finance Officer of the authority, or their
• Any elected member of the authority who has primary responsibility for Children’s Services or education in the authority.
• Any elected member of the authority who has primary responsibility for the resources of the
• Any person who is invited by the Forum to attend to provide financial or technical advice to the
• An observer appointed by the Secretary of State.
• Any person presenting a paper or other item to the Forum that is on the agenda, but that person’s right to speak shall be limited to matters related to the item that the person is presenting.
• Calderdale School Forum Public Meetings are open to all. The Forum may also invite, by agreement, individuals to attend a meeting to provide information or reports. Visitors should be asked to leave if confidential items are discussed, unless the Forum have asked them to take part in a specific discussion.

Arrangements for election of Chair and Vice Chair

• The Forum shall elect a chair and vice chair by a majority of votes cast on an annual basis at the first meeting in the academic year. The term of office of the chair will run until the first meeting in the following academic year.
• In the absence of the chair and vice chair members should elect a chair for that meeting.
• In the event of a vacancy of the chair and vice chair a chair and vice chair should be appointed for the remainder of the academic year.

Subgroups/working groups

• The Calderdale Schools Forum may establish subgroups and/or working groups on an ad hoc basis for the consideration of specific matters as it deems necessary and shall decide upon the terms of reference for such groups and on additional individuals to invite as deemed necessary. The Forum shall consider the work of such subgroups or Working Groups and shall make decisions or recommendations to the LA as appropriate.

Calderdale Schools Forum budget/members' expenses

The Local Authority will pay travel expenses, loss of earnings and childcare costs incurred by members in attending meetings of the Forum.

Arrangements for review and revision

The Principles and Terms of Reference are reviewed annually at the start of the new academic year, or more frequently if required.