Hereford Diocese

The aim of the Diocese is to provide support, guidance and, where needed, practical involvement to minimise the burden on schools’ Head teachers and Governors. We work closely with our Local Education Authorities and our consultant architects YMD Boon Ltd to ensure that Governors discharge their responsibilities safely and effectively. Advice may be obtained from the School Buildings Officer, Mr Stephen Challenger (s.challenger@hereford.anglican.org)

GOVERNOR AND LEA LIABILITIES

Governors’ liabilities are:
Capital works on the whole school site; this includes all boundary walls and fences, kitchens and other traditional LEA areas; all buildings, furniture, fixtures and fittings. Grant aid will be paid by the Department for Education and Skills at 90%; Governors’ liability is 10%.

LEAs are responsible for:
The playing fields and any sports buildings such as pavilions; revenue repairs and revenue maintenance.

Definition:
Capital work is any work valued in excess of £2,000 plus vat and fees.
Revenue work is all work valued at less than £2,000 plus vat and fees.

Description of Work

How Funded

Revenue repairs under £2,000 in each instance

By LEA, from the school delegated budget. VAT may be recovered as payments are seen to be made via the LEA.

Capital repairs, maintenance, improvement and new building(including ICT) over £2,000 in each instance

By Governors, from the separate Governors’ account. Grant paid by the DfES at 90% through a Devolved Formula Capital ( DFC) allocation; governors to pay 10% of project costs. All VAT must be paid in full – no recovery permitted.

Source of Funding
From April 2006 the DfES has paid the annual DFC allocation directly to Dioceses or Schools whether or not expenditure has been incurred. The allocation is calculated using a nationwide “lump sum” plus an additional “per pupil” amount. Schools may choose to manage funds themselves, or to use the Diocese as their banker; please contact the School Building Officer for advice. There is no longer a requirement to seek DfES approval before a DFC project can begin. However, under the Diocesan Board of Education Measure 1991, Governing Bodies must obtain the consent of the Diocesan Board of Education before entering into any agreement or arrangement in connection with any alteration or repair which would previously have required the consent of the Secretary of State. Further information is included in the document Building Issues VA Schools 2006/2007. Governors are still liable for 10% of the cost of any project being funded from DFC or LCVAP. The Locally Co ordinated Voluntary Aided Project (LCVAP) is a limited additional source of funding for projects jointly agreed between the LEA and the Diocese. Projects in this category would normally have been identified in schools’ Asset Management Plan (AMP); enquiries for funding should be made via the Diocesan Officer in September of each year for projects commencing the following April. LCVAP works currently require DfES approval before commencement; funding must be reclaimed from the DfES.

Diocesan Board of Education Consent
Applications for project approval should be made using the following forms:

Forms are available electronically or by request to the Diocesan Office.

Audit
The changes since April 2006 have not given the governing body any significant additional responsibilities, however they have taken away some of the safety net we have come to rely on with regard to compliance with regulations, appropriate use of DFC funds and a system of tracking how much DFC is available and what previous funds have been spent on. The onus is now squarely on governors to ensure that there are comprehensive records kept of what DFC has been spent on. Further advice on the preparation of an annual audit statement may be obtained from the School Building Officer.

Newsletter
A termly newsletter will be produced by this office; any items of interest for general circulation would be welcome. Please use the links below to access the newsletters: