Schemes for financing schools – section 13
Community facilities
13.1 Application of Schemes for Financing Schools to the Community Facilities Power
Schools which choose to exercise the power conferred by s.27 (1) of the Education Act 2002 to provide community facilities will be subject to controls. Regulations made under s.28 (2), if made, can specify activities which may not be undertaken at all under the main enabling power. Section 88 of the Children and Families Act 2014 has removed the requirements in section 28(4) and section 28(5) of the Education Act 2002 for maintained schools in England. Under section 28(4) a school was obliged to consult its Authority and under section 28(5) a school must have regard to advice or guidance from the Secretary of State or their local authority when offering this type of provision.
Under s.28(1), the main limitations and restrictions on the power will be those contained in the maintaining authority’s scheme for financing schools made under section 48 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as amended by paragraph 2 of Schedule 3 to the Education Act 2002. This amendment extended the coverage of schemes to include the exercise of the powers of governing bodies to provide community facilities.
Schools are therefore subject to prohibitions, restrictions and limitations in the scheme for financing schools.
This part of the scheme does not extend to joint-use agreements; transfer of control agreements, or agreements between the authority and schools to secure the provision of adult and community learning.
13.2 Consultation with the authority – financial aspects
Schools no longer need to consult the Authority when establishing community facilities. Nor do they have to have regard to advice given to them by their authority. However, as public bodies, they are expected to act reasonably, and this includes consulting those affected by decisions they make.
13.3 Funding agreements – authority powers
Schools seeking to enter into any funding agreement with a third party either supplying funding or supplying funding and taking part in the provision, must submit any such proposed agreement to the Director of Education for comment. Schools must give the Authority a minimum of 4 weeks response time in such consultation.
Schools seeking Authority advice and submitting proposals to the Authority for comment must take into account the comments of the Authority and inform the Authority what action has been taken following Authority advice. Whilst the Authority has no right of veto for such agreements, if an agreement has been or is to be concluded against the wishes of the Authority, or as been concluded without informing the Authority, which in the view of the Authority is seriously prejudicial to the interests of the school or the Authority, that may constitute grounds for suspension of the right to a delegated budget.
13.4 Other prohibitions, restrictions and limitations
In cases where the Authority considers that a proposed project carries significant financial risks to the Authority, it may require the governing body concerned to make arrangements to protect the financial interests of the Authority by either carrying out the activity concerned through the vehicle of a limited company formed for the purpose, or by obtaining indemnity insurance for risks associated with the project as specified by the Authority.
13.5 Supply of financial information to the Authority
Schools which exercise the community facilities power should provide the Authority every six months with a summary statement showing the income and expenditure for the school arising from the facilities in question for the previous six months and on an estimated basis, for the next six months.
Should the Authority consider there to be cause for concern as to the school’s management of the financial consequences of the exercise of the community facilities power, it may request financial statements every three months and the submission of a recovery plan for the activity in question if required.
Financial information relating to community facilities must be included in returns made by schools under the CFR framework. Schedule 15 of the act provides that mismanagement of funds spent or received for community facilities is a basis for suspension of the right to delegation of the budget share.
13.6 Audit
Schools, in concluding funding agreements with other persons pursuant to the exercise of the community facilities power, should ensure that such agreements contain adequate provision for access by the Authority to the records and other property of those persons held on the school premises, or held elsewhere insofar as they relate to the activity in question, in order for the Authority to satisfy itself as to the propriety of expenditure on the facilities in question.
13.7 Treatment of income and surpluses
Schools may retain all net income derived from community facilities except where otherwise agreed with a funding provider.
Schools may carry such retained net income over from one financial year to the next as a separate community facility supply, or transfer all or part of it to the budget share balance.
If the school is a community or community special school and the Authority ceases to maintain the school, any accumulated retained income obtained from exercise of the community facilities power reverts to the Authority.
13.8 Health and safety
The health and safety provisions of the main scheme (see section 11.5) also apply to the community facilities power.
The governing body will be responsible for the costs of securing Disclosure and Barring Service clearance, where appropriate for all adults involved in community activities taking place during the school day.
13.9 Insurance
It is the responsibility of the governing body to ensure adequate arrangements are made for insurance against risks arising from the exercise of the community facilities power. The school should seek the Authority’s advice before finalising any insurance arrangement for community facilities and should allow a two week response time for the Authority. The Authority may undertake its own assessment of the insurance arrangements made by a school in respect of community facilities and if it judges those arrangements to be inadequate, make arrangements itself and charge the resultant cost to the school.
Instead of taking out insurance, a school may join the RPA for risks that are covered by the RPA.
13.10 Taxation
Schools should seek the advice of the Authority initially and the local VAT office or professional VAT advice on any issues relating to the possible imposition of Value Added Tax on income and expenditure in connection with community facilities and any company set up to manage such facilities.
Schools must fulfil the Authority’s directions on VAT issues that impact on the Authority’s VAT return or position.
If any member of staff employed by the school or Authority in connection with community facilities at the school is paid from funds held in a school’s own back account, the school is likely to be held liable for payment of income tax and National Insurance, in line with HM Revenue and Customs rules.
Schools should follow Authority advice in relation to the Construction Industry Scheme where this is relevant to the exercise of community facilities power.
13.11 Banking
Schools should either maintain separate bank accounts for budget share and community facilities or have one account but with adequate internal accounting controls to maintain separation of funds. School should also have regard to the provisions at 3.5 and 3.6 above relating to the banks which may be used, signing of cheques, the titles of bank accounts, the contents of bank account mandates, and similar matters. The general approach to these matters should mirror these sections, except that a provision requiring that a mandate show the LA as owner of the funds in the account should exempt the community facilities funds from that if they are not in the same account as the budget share.