The Newham Schools Forum discussed the Schools Block funding, the budget for the Schools Forum, and the work of the Schools Financial Assessments Team. No decisions were made at the meeting.

Schools Block Funding

The Schools Forum discussed the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement for the 2025/26 financial year. The DSG is the main source of funding for schools in England. In the report prepared for the forum officers noted that:

The purpose of this report is to provide Schools Forum members with a high level overview of the national funding changes for 2025-26 and the potential impact this may have on the local funding formula.

The report stated that the Government has announced a 2% increase in school funding for 2025/26, which represents an increase of £906 million on the 2024/25 budget.

After reviewing the report, the forum discussed how to ensure that the extra funding was distributed fairly and transparently. There was a debate about the best way to allocate the funding to schools, with some members arguing that it should be distributed based on need, while others argued that it should be distributed based on pupil numbers.

Schools Forum Budget

The Schools Forum considered a report on its own budget, which was noted at £35,000. The report detailed how the budget is allocated to support the work of the Schools Forum in fulfilling its statutory duties.

The forum discussed the budget for the 2024/25 financial year and agreed to carry it forward to the next meeting.

Schools Financial Assessments Team

The Schools Forum received a report from the Schools Financial Assessments Team, which detailed the work they had undertaken to support schools in Newham. This work included providing financial advice and support to schools, as well as carrying out financial assessments of schools. The Schools Financial Assessments team is part of the OneSource service, a joint venture between Newham Council and Havering Council.

The forum praised the work of the Schools Financial Assessments Team and commended their dedication and professionalism.