NAFWC20/06 - Better Schools Fund 2007-2008

It describes the Activity and Priority Areas which are eligible for grant support within the programme, the management arrangements for the programme and the information which LEAs should provide. It also gives details of grant allocations for each LEA and the arrangements for the claiming and payment of grant.

The Circular also asks LEAs to submit formal spending plans for Assembly approval and provides details on each Activity and Priority Area to inform the preparation, monitoring and delivery of those plans.

Overview

The Welsh Assembly Government believes that every school has the capacity to improve and succeed, and s working towards a distinctive Wales school improvement programme which s “evidence-based, locally managed and professionally valid”. The Assembly’s broad agenda for supporting school improvement s set out in “Wales - a Better Country”, “The Learning Country” and “The Learning Country 2”.

Our Pedagogy Initiative will create the expectation that all practitioners will engage in the most effective teaching and learning strategies and we will draw in leading edge practice including that identified through the delivery of our strategic priorities including Foundation Phase, 14-19 Learning Pathways and the RAISE programme. The Better Schools Fund provides additional targeted support to complement these programmes by assisting schools and local authorities in the development of new initiatives and innovation.

Grant provided from the Better Schools Fund is time-limited. The normal expectation s that each Activity/Priority Area will be evaluated with in a period of three years and that, where funding is required on an ongoing basis, it will be transferred into the Local Authority Revenue Settlement in accordance with the Assembly Government’s Grant Protocol with local authorities.

The Better Schools Fund may be used to assist schools and local authorities to deliver act on set out n Single Education plans and to assist schools to respond to Ester inspect on reports provided the use of grant is consistent with the specific aims and objectives described in this Circular. Local authorities should take account of the full range of funding sources n developing the r Better Schools Fund plans.

Grant payments are made under sect on 14 of the Education Act 2002.