EXTENDED SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
Finance |
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Why is it necessary to complete the Budget Deployment pro-forma?
How do I separate extended schools money from my school budget?
Is the Finance Department providing additional expenditure codes to monitor expenditure?
What happens if a school under-spends its Extended Schools allocation for 2006-2007?
What happens if a school overspends on the Extended Schools programme?
How do I pay my teaching and non teaching staff? What forms do I process payments?
How do I make payments for services? Is it through the normal LMS system?
What if I need £10,000 to implement my extended school services and I have only £6,000 from DE?
Human Resources
A full time teacher in my school has offered to run a photography programme after school, one day per week. This will involve 12 sessions at 1½ hours per week. Should I offer her the same rate of pay as the artist in residence (approved by the Creative Youth Partnership at by ELB)?A teacher and a classroom assistant have offered to take a gardening club and a chess club, after school, respectively. Do I offer them the same rate of pay?
The canteen supervisor, who normally works lunchtimes only, has expressed an interest in supervising the extended schools breakfast club. Can I offer her the post?
A voluntary organisation could provide the sort of physical activity programme the school has recognised a need for. Can I go ahead and employ them if their quotation is reasonable and offers value for money?
My caretaker will have to stay late on Wednesday (9.00PM) What rate of pay is he entitled to?
An employee from a voluntary organisation will be tutoring P7 pupils in cycling. He has been vetted by that organisation. Do I also have to go through the vetting procedures before employing him?
A graphic artist will be working with Year 12 boys. He is self-employed, having had his own company for 6 years. How do I employ him?
A local parent is proficient in calligraphy and has offered to run a 10 week programme for Year 10 pupils. Can I employ her and on what rate of pay?
I am a principal of a small, rural three teacher school. I intend to take boys for football after school 1 day per week for 18 weeks. Can I claim payment for this?
A classroom assistant provides guitar classes for 1 hour at lunchtime. Clarinet tuition for a few children is provided by the ELB music service. The latter cost £22 per hour. Can I pay the classroom assistant the same rate of pay?
A classroom assistant could run a dance class after school. Is this permissible?
What is the recommended rate of pay to be used for- teachers, non-teaching staff, outside personnel?
What forms need to be completed by schools in order to have payments processed by the board?
Who has responsibility for outside agencies coming into schools- ie: who is the employer-the schools, the Board?
General/CASS
Who
approves the school’s action
plan?
Can changes be made to the Action Plan after it is approved?
What are the penalties for not delivering the Extended
Schools programme?
What details need to go into
my school’s
annual report on Extended Schools?
How can my school access the 15% additional funding for
collaboration arrangements?
When will the additional 15% funding for collaboration
be allocated to the host or individual schools in the cluster?
Will Schools receive any support?
How do I monitor the financial and non-financial aspects
of the project?
What should partnerships with external agencies involve?
Legal/Child Protection
Do I have to follow Social Services guidelines in relation
to provision of after schools clubs (e.g. ratios)?
How will Extended School provision affect
my school’s
child protection arrangements?
What does Extended Schools and Child Protection mean for
School Governors?
What do I need to be aware of prior to extending adult
access to school either as employees, volunteers or other
agencies?
What do I need to do next?
Purchasing
Given the ethos of Extended Schools must I always use Board
suppliers if for example I am trying to engage in a social
enterprise initiative for children that requires them to
negotiate with suppliers in a local community?
Can I use local suppliers who can provide me with a service
quickly, if I provide quotes?
I want to purchase some computers for my after schools
project, do I have to buy computers that will be compatible
with C2K or can I buy stand alone systems?
Answers
Finance
How much funding will each school receive?
Each school will receive the initial amount listed in the
DE Guidance Document (Appendix 1) . This allocation is
for the financial year 06/07. Each school will also receive
a similar amount of funding for the financial year 2007/8.
BACK TOP
Why is it necessary to complete the Budget Deployment pro-forma?
By itemising the planned expenditure schools are committing
to operate with their allocated budget. This commitment
of expenditure will enable the Extended Schools co-ordinator
and the Project Board to monitor the financial management
arrangements in participating schools. A Budget Deployment
form will have to be completed for each financial year
the school is involved in the Extended Schools programme.
A copy of the form can be found on the SEELB website www.seelb.org.uk.
BACK TOP
How do I separate extended schools money from my school
budget?
There is no mechanism in the Board’s financial system
to track extended school expenditure separately from normal
delegated budget expenditure. Schools could set up a separate
cost centre on their C2K and charge all expenditure under
extended schools against this specific cost centre. The school’s
link officer for C2K should be able to provide advice regarding
this.
You will have indicated in the budget deployment form where
you want the Extended Schools funding to be allocated, e.g.
staff, resources, transport etc. At the end of the year SEELB
finance will show in the budget statement Extended Schools
expenditure. The school should keep separate expenditure
records available to assist in financial monitoring of the
Extended Schools initiative. A financial monitoring tool
has also been made available on the SEELB web site to assist
in tracking and accounting for your expenditure. BACK TOP .
Is the Finance Department providing additional expenditure
codes to monitor expenditure?
No, there are no additional codes for the Extended Schools
programme. The funding will be added to your school’s
delegated budget therefore the conditions governing budget
management, reporting, processing of payments, purchasing
etc. are similar to the management of funds under the LMS
Common Formula Scheme. BACK TOP
What happens if a school under-spends its Extended Schools
allocation for 2006-2007?
Extended Schools funding should be used to deliver the agreed
Extended Schools action plan. If this cannot be delivered
then the school can arrange with the Board to carry over
into the next financial year. It is worth noting however,
that each school will receive its allocation for the next
financial year (2007-08) in April 07. BACK TOP
What happens if a school overspends on the Extended Schools
programme?
No school can plan for a deficit under the Extended Schools
programme. If a school overspends on any aspect of
the programme then the additional cost will be charged to
that school’s delegated budget. It cannot be
used to repay an LMS deficit nor retain additional staff
not directly involved in the extended activities. BACK TOP
How do I pay my teaching and non teaching staff? What forms
do I use and how do I process payments?
The 5 ELB’s have agreed set rates for payment of staff
engaged to deliver Extended Schools services (See HR Guidance)
. It is a decision for the school as to what rate individual
members of staff are paid at. Once engaged through Human
Resources, additional hours should be included on a lunar
timesheet and clearly marked as “Extended Schools” and
then forwarded to the SEELB Salaries and Wages Department
for payment. If Caretaking and/or secretarial staff are to
be paid for work carried out in relation to the Extended
Schools programme then a separate engagement form will be
also be required. The additional hours need only be added
to their original timesheet although these should be marked
clearly as “Extended Schools”
If catering staff are employed for additional hours as part
of the Board’s delivery of a Breakfast Club service
(£1 per pupil) then the Board’s Catering Service
will ensure payment to that member of staff.
BACK TOP
How do I make payments for services? Is it through normal
LMS system?
The school must comply with the Board’s contracting/purchasing
procedures. The same procedure for making payments out of
the school’s normal delegated budget applies. BACK TOP
What
if I need £10,000 to implement my extended school
services and I have only £ 6,000 from DE?
Contact Melanie Doak who will advise and support the schools
to make applications for external funding. Be advised of
the potential timeframe for any successful bids, so forward
planning will be important. It may also be possible to pool
resources and operate as a cluster, securing an additional
15% DE funding to allow for an enhanced service to be provided. BACK TOP
Human Resources
A full time teacher in my school has offered to run a photography
programme after school, one day per week. This will involve 12 sessions
at 1½ hours per week. Should I offer her the same rate of
pay as the artist in residence (approved by the Creative Youth Partnership
at by ELB)?
No. This person should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or Extended
Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
A teacher and a classroom assistant have offered to take a gardening
club and a chess club, after school, respectively. Do I offer them
the same rate of pay?
Yes. They should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or Extended
Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
The canteen supervisor, who normally works lunchtimes only, has
expressed an interest in supervising the extended schools breakfast
club. Can I offer her the post?
It is recommended such a post is trawled amongst the appropriate
staff in the first instance.
BACK
TOP
A voluntary organisation could provide the sort of physical activity
programme the school has recognised a need for. Can I go ahead and
employ them if their quotation is reasonable and offers value for
money?
Yes. The school should take steps to ensure the required criminal
background checks have been undertaken and that those employed are
suitably qualified to deliver the programme.
BACK
TOP
My caretaker will have to stay late on Wednesday (9.00PM) What
rate of pay is he entitled to?
This is an extension to his/her normal job therefore they should
be paid their own rate of pay with any relevant enhancements for
overtime/unsocial hours.
BACK
TOP
An employee from a voluntary organisation will be tutoring P7
pupils in cycling. He has been vetted by that organisation. Do I
also have to go through the vetting procedures before employing him?
Yes. All staff in a regulated position whose normal duties include
work in an educational establishment either in a paid or voluntary
capacity should be subject to a criminal background check by the
relevant board irrespective of any checks undertaken by other organisations.
Schools must ensure DE circulars 2006/06, 2006/07 and 2006/08 are
adhered to.
BACK
TOP
A graphic artist will be working with Year 12 boys. He is self-employed,
having had his own company for 6 years. How do I employ him?
Schools should seek a written quotation for the services prior to
employment. Schools should then be satisfied as to the reasonableness
of the quotation and whether it represents best value. Schools are
also advised to take up references or contact another school who
have previously used the organisation to establish suitability. The
organisation should then submit an invoice for payment to the finance
department of the relevant board.
BACK
TOP
A local parent is proficient in calligraphy and has offered to
run a 10 week programme for Year 10 pupils. Can I employ her and
on what rate of pay?
Yes. This person should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or
Extended Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
I am a principal of a small, rural three teacher school. I intend
to take boys for football after school 1 day per week for 18 weeks.
Can I claim payment for this?
Yes. This person should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or
Extended Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
A classroom assistant provides guitar classes for 1 hour at lunchtime.
Clarinet tuition for a few children is provided by the ELB music
service. The latter cost £22 per hour. Can I pay the classroom
assistant the same rate of pay?
No. This person should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or Extended
Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
A classroom assistant could run a dance class after school. Is
this permissible?
Yes. This person should be engaged as Extended Schools Leader or
Extended Schools Assistant, whichever is appropriate.
BACK
TOP
What is the recommended rate of pay to be used for- teachers,
non-teaching staff, outside personnel?
Please refer to “Human Resources Guidance for Engagement of
Staff Under the Extended Schools Programme”.
BACK
TOP
What forms need to be completed by schools in order to have payments
processed by the board?
Please refer to “Human Resources Guidance for Engagement of
Staff Under the Extended Schools Programme.
BACK
TOP
Who has responsibility for outside agencies coming into schools-
ie: who is the employer-the schools, the Board?
Staff belonging to independent organisations are employees of that
organisation.
BACK
TOP
General/CASS
Who
approves the school’s action plan?
All action plans
will be approved by the Extended Schools co-ordinator and
the Project Board. The deadline
for returning the action plans is 30 November 2006. These
will subsequently be signed off by 5 January 2007. Any
school that submits an action plan up to 31 March 2007
will be required to submit a new action plan for the next
financial year together with the relevant budget deployment
form.
If a school submits an Action Plan up to 30 June 2007 then
a second Action Plan for the period September 2007 onwards
will also have to be submitted. BACK TOP
Can changes be made to the Action Plan after it is approved?
Yes. There is flexibility with the Action Plans but it
is important that you notify the Extended Schools
Co-ordinator of any changes to your plan. Where there is a minor amendment
to the plan – e.g. an extension of an exisiting
activity or a change in cost, then notification of
these changes
to the SEELB will suffice. Where there is a major change
to the Action Plan , e.g. a planned activity has been
replaced by something else, then an amended Action
Plan should be
submitted to the Extended Schools Co-ordinator. BACK TOP
What are the penalties for not delivering the Extended
Schools programme?
The Board or DE may withdraw or suspend a school from
participation in the programme where there is evidence
of:
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Misuse or inappropriate use of funds;
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Significant weaknesses in the management of the programme;
What details need to go into my school’s annual
report on Extended Schools?
Schools should report how their extended school monies
were used to meet the high level outcomes of the programme. BACK TOP
How can my school access the 15% additional funding for
collaboration arrangements?
Where there is a cluster arrangement in place to involve
3 or more funded schools then each school will be entitled
to receive an additional 15% funding based on their original
allocation. This can be managed in 2 ways: 1. One school
can elect to hold the budget on behalf of the other schools
in the cluster. 2. Each school will receive their
additional 15% and schools will make invoicing arrangements.
Financial
expenditure should be closely monitored by all schools
and any variations notified in advance to the Extended
Schools
co ordinator and the LMS unit. BACK TOP
When will the additional 15% funding for collaboration be
allocated to the host or
individual schools in the cluster?
The funding will be allocated to the school(s) once the cluster
action plan has been approved. BACK TOP
Will Schools receive any support?
An Extended Schools team has been set up to support schools.
Contact details for the team together with copies of a blank
action plan, budget deployment form and financial monitoring
tool can be found on the SEELB web site: www.seelb.org.uk.
SEELB will provide support and guidance in terms of action
plan development. The delivery, implementation and monitoring
and evaluation of Extended Services and activities will be
the responsibility of the school. The SEELB will have a responsibility
for monitoring outputs and outcomes of the agreed action
plans. The Department of Education will carry out inspection
visits. Financial monitoring will be the responsibility of
the school, with expenditure managed through the school LMS
budget. Any overspend will be recouped from the school LMS
budget. BACK TOP
How do I monitor the financial and non-financial aspects
of the project?
The Regional Training Unit will provide support through an
Extended Schools Toolkit, which gives examples of monitoring
systems for collating outputs and outcomes www.rtuni.org/extendedschools.
Schools must maintain monitoring/evaluation records as set
out in their approved Action Plan. Schools will also
be required to submit a short summary report at the end of
the academic year on the progress of their Extended Schools
services. A financial monitoring tool has also been provided
to assist in tracking your expenditure. This can be found
on the SEELB Website - Extended Schools. BACK TOP
What should partnerships with external agencies involve?
These partnerships will be operated at different levels and
may extend from offering referrals, advice and guidance,
participation in a steering committee, funding or in kind
service support. It is anticipated that such partnerships
will allow for increased communication, co operation, shared
and best practice service solutions. Partnerships are thought
to include pupils, parents, community, statutory and voluntary
stakeholders, who will join together with the school acting
as the hub of the community.
As part of any partnership, baseline, it is important that
a schools extended services do not displace any existing
activity taking place at local level. BACK TOP
Child Protection/Legal
Do I have to follow social services guidelines in relation
to provision of after schools clubs (e.g. ratios)?
If the children involved in the after-school provision are
registered pupils at the school, they do not need to register
with EHSSB, regardless of the hours staying. BACK TOP
If the after-school provision is being offered to children
who are not pupils of the school and the children are staying
for longer than 1 hour 50 minutes, then the after-school
provision must be registered with EHSSB.
How will Extended School provision affect my school’s
child protection arrangements?
Extended Schools provision is likely to result in
increased levels of access to school premises by adults,
either as users of services or as providers as part of
a partnership arrangement between the school and other
agencies. BACK TOP
What
does Extended Schools and Child Protection mean for School
Governors?
Governors will need to understand and review the schools’ Child
Protection policy in relation to their ‘extended’ responsibilities.
Duties - DE Circular 2003/13 - Welfare and Protection
of Pupils Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland)
Order 2003.
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Article 17 - duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils;
-
Article 18 - requirement to ensure a written policy sets out what measures will be taken by all persons associated with the school to protect pupils from abuse;
What do I need to be aware of prior to extending adult access
to school either as employees, volunteers or other agencies?
Duties - Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI)
Order (POCVA)
POCVA came into effect 1 April
2005.
DE Circular 2006/06 Guidance for employers on pre-employment
checking and safer recruitment practices - in particular
consider:
-
Persons on whom checks should be requested;
-
Contracted-out services;
-
Contractors employed directly;
-
Risk Management - School Governors/Principals need to identify new areas of risk in relation to their safeguarding/child protection duties;
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Pastoral Care Policies need to be updated as a priority to cover the eventualities of all the activities within the school and the implication these may have for schools/partners;
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Adequate staffing arrangements must be in situ to ensure that children and young people are not unsupervised;
-
Protocols for ‘in school hours’ and ‘out of school hours’ child protection arrangements need to be clearly documented and disseminated;
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Partnership agreements should be drawn up with all Third Party Service providers clearly setting out the responsibilities of each party - documented and signed Partnership Agreements. These should include for example:
• Type of activity involved;
• Who’s Who;
• Staffing requirements eg ratio;
• Protocols for using shared space - ie where people can and cannot go;
• Evidence of recruiting and vetting of all staff;
• Child Protection policy of partner and arrangements for reporting to school;
• Arrangements for emergency events eg if they are left with a child not collected.
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Process of Development;
• Ensure your schools CP Training is up to date in relation to your DT and governors;
• Use your cluster groups;
• Use the ELB Staff;
• Research previous experience - good info on www.teachernet.gov.uk re extended schools;
• Good practice to consult with your parents and ensure you ultimately let all parents know what is happening. BACK TOP
Purchasing
Given the ethos of Extended Schools must I always use Board
suppliers if for example I am trying to engage in a social
enterprise initiative for children that requires them to
negotiate with suppliers in a local community?
If it is a small scheme in which children are involved
in negotiating rates for a small amount of resources, allowing
for development of business and social skills this will
be approved. BACK TOP
Can I use local suppliers who can provide me with a service
quickly, if I provide quotes?
No, schools must use approved board suppliers for supply
of goods and services. This should be quicker as you
do not require quotes and many will operate a next
day delivery
service. BACK TOP
I want to purchase some computers for my after schools project,
do I have to buy computers that will be compatible with C2K
or can I buy stand alone systems?
The CASS ICT Department strongly advise schools to purchase
managed service computers as this will also include a full
technical support service.
BACK TOP
School Meals
I want to use the school kitchen for breakfast. Do I need
a minimum number of children and do I have to use School
Meals service or can I run it myself?
The preferred minimum for breakfast is 20. If the demand
is lower consideration will be given, but the cost will be
increased on a pro rata basis. Schools may operate a breakfast
service but if they require to use the kitchen or dining
room certain criteria will apply, e.g. under food hygiene
regulations all staff handling food are required to be trained
to basic food hygiene standard. It must be operated in a
manner which does not disrupt the normal school meals production.
If principals wish to obtain more information they should
contact their Area Catering Manager. BACK TOP
