Agenda item

Motion D (2007/08):

Councillor Oakes has given notice that he will move in the following terms:

“This Council notes;

the continuous support from parents and men of the calibre of Eric Grant who suggest that the Lemuel Findlay Supplementary School (LFSS) has been serving the Black Community in this borough well - East and West - for 32 years, and that;

it was first funded in 1989 by Haringey Council's Education Department, using Section 11 funding, granted by Central Government for the relief of educational disadvantage among "New Commonwealth" descendants.

Section 11 funding has now been replaced by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG), and the case for continued funding for LFSS is still strong.

that the Council cannot blame the voluntary Management Committee if the Council was ignorant of LFSS' performance and wage structure because Haringey Council and not the Management Committee has long employed and is responsible for its Co-ordinating Officer and 16 teachers there;

that the year-end funding withdrawal is likely to close the school, because management has been too occupied to make alternative funding applications;

This Council resolves;

to follow best practice elsewhere, amend the cut, and review its funding-sources and grants to this and all the borough's other 32 Supplementary schools relative to size, acknowledging their vital role in helping minority ethnic children, and give reality to Haringey's belief in cultural diversity.

to review the relevant internal controls and improve the clarity and  understanding among responsible officers and Cabinet members of the funding sources of services so that examples like employing teachers directly for many years in a supplementary school will not come as a surprise to the Heads of Department or Cabinet Members responsible”.

The meeting agreed that the order of the business be varied to consider item 14 – Motion D after Item 10 – Motion C.

MOTION D (2007/08):

It was moved by Councillor Oakes and seconded by Councillor Gorrie that:

“This Council notes;

the continuous support from parents and men of the calibre of Eric Grant who suggest that the Lemuel Findlay Supplementary School (LFSS) has been serving the Black Community in this borough well - East and West - for 32 years, and that;

it was first funded in 1989 by Haringey Council's Education Department, using Section 11 funding, granted by Central Government for the relief of educational disadvantage among "New Commonwealth" descendants.

Section 11 funding has now been replaced by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG), and the case for continued funding for LFSS is still strong.

that the Council cannot blame the voluntary Management Committee if the Council was ignorant of LFSS' performance and wage structure because Haringey Council and not the Management Committee has long employed and is responsible for its Co-ordinating Officer and 16 teachers there;

that the year-end funding withdrawal is likely to close the school, because management has been too occupied to make alternative funding applications;

This Council resolves;

to follow best practice elsewhere, amend the cut, and review its funding-sources and grants to this and all the borough's other 32 Supplementary schools relative to size, acknowledging their vital role in helping minority ethnic children, and give reality to Haringey's belief in cultural diversity.

to review the relevant internal controls and improve the clarity and  understanding among responsible officers and Cabinet members of the funding sources of services so that examples like employing teachers directly for many years in a supplementary school will not come as a surprise to the Heads of Department or Cabinet Members responsible”.

An amendment to motion D was moved by Councillor Santry and seconded by Councillor Kober that:

Delete all after “…has been serving the Black Community in this borough well - East and West - for 32 years;” and insert:

“that Haringey Council has provided financial support to LFSS since 1989 and that the funding to the school in the last 12 months amounted to £70,000 ;

that this support to the school has been provided by including the staff on the Council’s payroll which is a practice that is no longer appropriate and needs to change;

that since 1989 Haringey has become much more diverse and now includes 36 active supplementary and community language schools only some of which receive modest funding from the council;

that a fairer and more equitable method of apportioning the available funding for supplementary and community language schools  is required urgently.

This Council resolves:

-         to support the introduction from 1 April 2008 of the new scheme for apportioning a budget of £100k to supplementary and community language schools;

-         to continue to help LFSS, so they may continue their good work, in their applications to the increasing number of other funding sources available to supplementary and community language schools when the Council funding ceases and to consider the school for funding under the new scheme”.

The Amendment was then put to the meeting and declared CARRIED on a vote 26 for, and 22 against.

The substantive Motion was then put to the meeting declared carried on a vote 27 for, and 22 against.