1. Forum Secretarial services (for information) Agenda Item 3

2. Forum secretary Since the previous secretary retired at the end of 2013 an interim arrangement to support the Forum was put in place. We have been considering how best to provide this support and service in the future to best meet the needs of forum members. As a result of this research we have liaised with colleagues in Democratic Services (who support the council’s formal committee meetings) to explore the possibility of them being able to support schools forum. This would be additional work for the service and as they have a number of similar requests they are considering expanding their existing operations and team.

3. Democratic services Democratic services can provide the following: Preparation for meetings, including arranging dates and booking venues; Preparing agendas, requesting reports, formatting and converting to.pdf, uploading to web (CMIS) and preparing electronic document packs; Attendance at meetings for minute taking and provision of advice on procedural and governance matters; and Preparation of minutes after meeting Assuming there are six meetings per year, the costs will be approx £4,100 per annum.

4. Forum costs The budget is £5,650 p.a. The EFA guidance states this central expenditure budget should not be increased. The Holiday Inn is a good meeting venue and is booked to the end of 2015. However using Democratic services would increase costs but would provide a more professional service and remove pressure from officers who currently have to both provide a secretarial service, produce and present papers. In order to keep within budget, it will be necessary to find alternative meeting venues for 2016 to remain within budget.