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Resource Management Committee Meeting Minutes
School: Cavendish Community Primary School
Quorum: 3 (met at this meeting)
Chair: Jenny Green
Clerk: Lydia Smith
Date of meeting: 23 October 2014
Venue: Cavendish Community Primary School
Attendance
Name
Governor type
Jenny Green
Sarah Hamilton
Chris Byrne
Janet Marland
Carole Spiller
Suzannah Reeves
Joy Paul
Community
(Chair)
Parent
Parent
HT
Parent
LA
Parent
‘End of Term of
Office’ date
20/03/18
Present
(P)/apologies
(Ap)/absent (A)
P
14/11/16
14/11/16
N/A
01/09/16
31/08/16
28/02/17
P
P
P
P
Ap
Ap
Others present
Name
Lydia Smith
Nicola Kennedy
Role
Clerk, One Education
School Business Manager (SBM)
Agenda Items
1
Apologies
Apologies were accepted from Suzannah Reeves and Joy Paul.
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Declaration of pecuniary interests
Jenny is employed by Capita. This will be taken into account should her casting vote
as Chair to the Committee be required for or be a significant factor in any decision
involving the commissioning of services etc from Capita.
Chris Byrne is working on Tablets for RM.
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Notification of items for AOUB
Admitted Body Status was tabled for discussion.
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Notification of items for Confidential Items
None.
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Election of Chair
Chair – Jenny Green was nominated and re-elected unopposed.
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Chair re-elected unopposed
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Minutes of the last meetings (19.06.14 & 11.07.14) & matters arising
Matters of Accuracy (19.06.14)
There were no matters of accuracy.
Matters Arising (19.06.14)
There were no matters arising.
The minutes of the meeting on 19.06.14 were approved as an accurate record of the
meeting.
Matters of Accuracy (11.07.14)
There were no matters of accuracy.
Matters Arising (11.07.14)
There were no matters arising.
The minutes of the meeting on 11.07.14 were approved as an accurate record of the
meeting.
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Minutes of meeting (19.06.14) approved
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Minutes of meeting (11.07.14) approved
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School Business Manager’s Report
The SBM, presented her report and the following points were raised/highlighted in
discussion:
Budget Situation
Although there is a predicted in year deficit, this is managed by a healthy b/fwd
figure. Our finances are in good shape with a projected c/fwd figure of £53,280.
Premises and Health and Safety
Shawgrove:
The council has agreed that the four classrooms used by Y5 and Y6 are not fit for
purpose and pose a H & S issue that cannot wait until the outcome of the new build.
The Sibcas units will be in place in December and it is intended to move into the new
classrooms at the start of January. We expect that we will need to have a short
enforced closure for Y5/6 children at the start of the spring term to allow for facilities
such as IT to be installed. There will be an increase in our utility expenditure as we
will have to continue to heat and light Shawgrove as well as the Sibcas units.
Annex:
Whilst the new build is ongoing, the kitchen and dining facility will be rehoused in
temporary accommodation in the car park. The annex is also classed as not fit for
purpose. We had hoped that it would be refurbished as part of the build project but
the outlay would be very high as the asbestos issue needs addressing and a
complete rewire and new windows are also required.
Q Where would we house the Out of School Club if the annex is closed down?
If the annex was demolished we would have enough room to put another Sibcas unit
in place, but early indications are that the council will probably mothball the building
by closing it down and boarding up the windows. It is difficult for us to tackle this
issue whilst negotiations over the new build are still ongoing.
Q Could we use the hall for the Out of School Club?
It is often in use for sports activities at the end of the day.
Q Could we use classrooms?
This would not be ideal for children who have spent all day in the classroom or for
staff who need to work after school.
Cavendish and Nursery Buildings:
These are in very good shape at the moment.
Drainage Issue:
Recent reports have shown that there are serious drainage issues below Shawgrove
which will need to be addressed before it is viable to build on the land, although we
do not have the budget to cover this. When we took on Shawgrove we were not
given funding to manage the fabric of the building. We are hopeful that we may be
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able to replace Shawgrove with a new build which is in sympathy with the style of the
old building rather than having to retain it. A new build system used in Salford is
currently being considered by MCC.
Q Don’t we need to address the drainage issues if we have more children on the site
and the Sibcas units are installed?
Yes.
Q Do the Sibcas units have toilet facilities?
Yes, they are very well equipped and even have air conditioning.
School Meals
Our relationship with Taylor Shaw is very good and they have been very supportive
with regard to our new lunchtime timetable. The company is currently working with
our Healthy Schools Co-ordinator to provide a snack service for KS2 children, who
now have a longer morning as they have their lunch a little later.
Q Who is funding the snack service?
Parents will pay a 35 pence charge.
Carole visited the dining room at the end of last term and spoke to children as well
as eating there herself. The general feeling was that pupils were very happy with the
meals provided.
The governors noted the increased take up of school meals under the UIFSM
initiative. This currently stands at 90.68% of children in Reception, Y1 and Y2.
Stockport Homes
This issue of accessing an SLA remains unresolved, but Stockport Homes has
agreed to allow us to continue to use their services on an adhoc basis and invoice us
for each job separately so we are able to take advantage of their FOC repair 1st
service and make some savings to our repair bill.
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Finance
The SBM, presented a number of financial reports, and the following points were
raised/highlighted in discussion:
Period 6 Monitoring Report
Revenue Income
£2,719,599
Revenue Expenditure
£2,766,081
In year Balance
£46,482 deficit
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B/f from 2013/14
Year-end balance
£99,762 surplus
£53,280 surplus
Our current financial situation is very healthy.
The governors approved the Period 6 Monitoring Report.
Three Year Budget Plan/Budget Changes
At the previous meeting the SBM highlighted the difficulty in making accurate
predictions when precise funding details were not known. Changes have been made
to the projections now that we have actual figures and pupil numbers. The changes
include:
 One new TA in September with a further two to start after the half term
holiday. These appointments were made to provide support for a statemented
child with SEN and to assist with teaching the 23 children who have joined the
school, many of whom do not have English as a first language.
 Splitting the English cost centre budget into Reading and Writing with a strong
emphasis on the former
 Increase in the IT budget to cover extra consumable costs.
Q Do we receive funding for the statemented child?
Yes.
Q Do we intend to carry forward the surplus to next year?
We hope to spend approximately £13,000 on active panels (interactive whiteboards).
The supplier we approved last term, who supplied the current panels, is offering a
free panel with every three purchased before the end of 2014. We had originally
intended in making this investment from next year’s budget but the current deal
represents excellent value for money.
The governors approved the purchase of the additional active panels.
The governors approved the Three Year Budget Plan.
Cashflow Forecast
This currently stands at £78,205.85 in credit.
The governors approved the Cashflow Forecast.
The governors felt that the Cumulative Expense Analysis Report was no longer
required but welcomed the valuable overview of spend given by the General Ledger
Cost Centre Summary and asked that this be provided at future meetings.
Q Why have we spent over 94% of the ICT budget at this stage of the school year?
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Because the costs are front loaded.
Scheme of Financial Delegation
Q Are there any changes to this document?
Yes, we now have a charge card (Page 6) and Anne Pimblett, the new Finance
Officer, has replaced Michelle Williams on the authorisations list.
Q What is a charge card?
It is a credit card.
The governors approved the Scheme of Financial Delegation.
Operational Financial Procedures
The changes again refer to the charge card and the change of name of the Finance
Officer.
Q Are the spending limits specified?
Yes, in the Scheme of Financial Delegation.
The governors approved the Operational Financial Procedures.
Asset Register and Portable Asset Log
Following the recommendations made by the Audit Team, Dan Charlson is now
recording serial numbers of portable assets on the log. Asset Tags with an ID
number are also being attached to all equipment.
Q Should we more reticent about the fact that we have new Ipads in school?
No, because there is a general assumption now that all schools have them whether
or not it is publicised.
The governors approved the Asset Register and Portable Asset Log.
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Period 6 Monitoring Report approved
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Purchase of additional active panels
approved
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Three Year Budget Plan approved
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Cashflow Forecast approved
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Scheme of Financial Delegation approved
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Operational Financial Procedures
approved
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Asset Register and Portable Asset Log
approved
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Schools Financial Value Standards (SFVS) Update
Most actions identified last year have now been actioned. Outstanding actions are
listed below:
 The SBM will report back on the skills matrix once the information is received
from all governors and will highlight those areas in which there are skill
shortages;
 The Whistleblowing Policy will be added to the agenda for the next Governing
Body meeting. The HT will also ensure that it is available to all staff
electronically as well as on display in the staff room;
 The Disaster Recovery Plan is not yet completed.
Governors expressed the view that the Recovery Plan should be as simple as
possible.
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Whistleblowing Policy to be added to
agenda for next GB meeting
Ensure Whistleblowing Policy is available
electronically to all staff and on display in
staff room
Clerk
HT
04 Dec
2014
Autumn
term
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Benchmarking
The SBM presented two Benchmarking Reports and asked governors for their views
on the value of the content. Report 1 compares Cavendish against the national
average of all state, academy and free schools whilst Report 2 benchmarks the
school against the following local schools – Broad Oak, Chorlton Park, Beaver Road
and Oswald Road. The data relates to 2012/13, which is the most recent DfE data
available. The following points were raised/highlighted in discussion:
Report 1 – major observations:
 Teaching staff total per pupil is low compared to the national average;
 Teaching staff % of expenditure is low compared to the national average;
 Our Supply costs are low compared to the national average;
 Both our support staff to teacher & pupil ratio is very high;
 Our Administration costs per pupil are on the high side as we have a Business
Manager & IT technician which many schools do not.
 Report 2 – major observations:
 The number of FTE teachers is lower than the average but our average cost
per teacher is higher as we have a lot of teachers are on the upper pay scale;
 Premises cost per pupil is lower than the average;
 ICT learning resources cost per pupil is lower than the average. We have now
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addressed this with the extra IT equipment purchased i.e./ Ipad’s;
Premises cost are overall lower than the average;
Support staffing costs are higher than the average as we employ our own
cleaners and have a higher spend on TA’s & administration.
Q Why did you chose to benchmark against those particular local schools?
Because they are mostly three form entry schools, housed in old accommodation in
the same locality and as such are as close as possible to Cavendish.
Q Is the low teacher:pupil ratio part of a planned strategy?
Because of the number of children needing support, we have historically had a high
number of TAs who assist teachers. We also tend to recruit NQTs which will help to
offset the costs of teachers on the upper pay scale.
Q Do you think the teacher:pupil ration is right?
Yes, the results support this. We have a number of very well trained TAs who are
delivering interventions very effectively. This ratio will increase slightly when Michelle
Threlfall returns from maternity leave in the summer term.
Q How does our average KS2 points score compare to the national picture?
It compares well to national figures.
Q Why are our supply costs low now?
We have worked very hard to address this cost.
Q What is included in Other Staff Costs?
Premises, admin staff, lunchtime organisers and cleaning staff. Our catering staff are
employed by Taylor Shaw.
Q Is the cleaning service not outsourced?
No, there are some pensions issues that would need to be addressed.
The governors thanked the SBM for the Benchmarking data and it was agreed that it
would be useful to review it annually.
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Pupil Premium
This was covered at the Curriculum Committee meeting on 16th October.
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School Improvement Plan Update
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Q Is the way in which we allocate our budget reflected in the SIP?
Yes, the SBM checks that interventions are sustainable.
There were no other issues raised in relation to the SIP.
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Staff Absence
The SBM presented data showing the number of days’ absence taken by type and
staff group for the current financial year. She also provided a new report which
shows working days lost as a percentage of total available working days and
compares 2013/14 to the current financial year. Actual sickness absence amongst
teachers, support staff and admin staff is considerably lower than last year, but
overall absence of teachers is slightly higher when maternity/paternity leave and jury
service are taken into account.
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14 RM Committee Housekeeping
The governors approved the Terms of Reference for the Resource Management
Committee.
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Terms of Reference approved
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Governor Visits to School
The following visits were noted:
 Carole visited the dining room at lunch time at the end of last term and spoke
to children from all year groups.
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AOB
Admitted Body Status
Following clarification from MCC, we now recognise that MCC, and not the
school,will pool with Taylor Shaw and will be liable for any obligations Taylor Shaw
fails to meet. We will however be required to underwrite any associated risks.
The governors expressed their appreciation of this clarification.
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Actions or decisions
Date and time of next meeting:
Timescale
Thursday, 22 January at 7pm
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