The Director for People and the Director for Corporate Services submitted a written report on an analysis of the services offered to schools in the light of the changing educational landscape and further delegation of funding to schools directed through national school funding reform.  This would inform the prospectus of Service 4 Schools which must be published in December 2012 for the period 2013 to March 2014 and would enable the Authority to enter into an increasingly competitive market. 

Councillors Williams (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) presented the proposals. 

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Agreed –

(1)  the principle of continuing to offer services to schools through the Prospectus of Services 4 Schools; 

(2)  that the prospectus is simplified to cover a core offer of services which provides value for money, generates significant income and /or has a strategic benefit for the Council.  Other services can still be offered direct to schools on a pay as you go basis and will be priced appropriately using a full cost recovery rate according to the work required;

(3)  a charging policy which expects services to cover the marginal cost of selling service to schools and makes a contribution towards the Councils’ fixed costs wherever possible.  The relevant director will review and approve exceptions to this policy if the service is considered to have a significant strategic benefit to the Council or where a robust business plan indicates that an incremental charging policy is required to support the longer term viability of the service;  

(4)  that services which cannot recover cost and do not have a significant strategic benefit will be discontinued; 

(5)  that the Council will maximise the value of good quality and efficient services by expanding the offer outside of the City boundary;

(6)  that the simplified prospectus of services covering the period April 2013 – March 2014 will be published in December 2012 to enable the Council to fully establish its position in the market; 

(7)  the proposed core offer, pay as you go options and commercially available services which will be signposted from the prospectus and the services to be removed from the prospectus shown in Appendix A. The risks and mitigating action for each service is noted.