SCHOOL BALANCES

As you may be aware from the media coverage, Children's Services Review Panel discussed a report at its 15 June meeting on the level of school balances.

In summary the paper indicated:

• schools balances at 31 March, 2004 £19m
• schools projected balances at 31 March, 2005 £11m
• schools actual balances at 31 March, 2005 £29m

A further paper will be presented to the next meeting of the Review Panel on 20 July which will include information supplied by schools on the reasons for the level of balances held at 31 March, 2005.

My purpose in writing is to inform you of these reports and of a request from the Eastern Daily Press to supply them with the level of individual school balances. As this information will ultimately be in the public domain and would have to be provided had a Freedom of Information Act request been made, I have arranged for the full list of school balances to be made available at the end of this week.

A copy of a full set of the information provided to the media can be viewed at http://efs.norfolk.gov.uk by selecting School Balances from the A-Z menu.