Subscribe to updates
You'll receive weekly summaries about Hammersmith and Fulham Council every week.
If you have any requests or comments please let us know at community@opencouncil.network. We can also provide custom updates on particular topics across councils.
Summary
The Hammersmith and Fulham Council Schools Forum met to discuss a schools block to high needs block budget transfer, and to review the high needs block programmes of work. Also on the agenda was an update to the national funding formula, and a dedicated schools grant monitoring report.
Schools Block to High Needs Block Budget Transfer
The forum was scheduled to discuss a request to transfer 1% of the schools block1 to the high needs block2 for the 2026/27 financial year. The report pack stated that this transfer was proposed to address the sustainability of the high needs block.
The report pack listed five key drivers that led to the request:
- Budget pressure from significant cost inflation.
- Lower than originally forecast high needs block funding increases.
- Special MFG3 at 3% and Special Provision Supplementary Grant from 2023/24 financial year.
- Maintaining investment in creating inclusive mainstream provision.
- Local area placement sufficiency.
The report pack stated that the Schools Forum had been consulted on this request before a decision was made.
High Needs Block Update
The Schools Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the High Needs Block programmes of work and performance against the Department for Education Safety Valve Agreement4 at Quarter 2.
The report included updates on the following work programmes:
- Increasing early intervention activity and development of a more robust local offer.
- A SEND Sufficiency Review and School Organisation Plan.
- This included an update on the delivery of 32 new specialist places for September 2025:
- A 16 place SEN Unit for pupils with speech, language and communication needs at Ark Burlington Danes Secondary School.
- A 16 place Additionally Resourced Provision for pupils with Autism at Fulham Cross Academy.
- A new Queensmill School Key Stage 1 Satellite Provision at Sulivan Primary School, providing up to 20 places from September 2025 and 40 places by September 2026.
- This included an update on the delivery of 32 new specialist places for September 2025:
- Annual Reviews
- Preparation for Adulthood
- Block Transfer
Other business
The Schools Forum was also scheduled to discuss the Dedicated Schools Grant Q1 2025/26 Monitoring Report, and receive a verbal update on the 2026/27 National Funding Formula.
-
The schools block is a ring-fenced part of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) that is used to fund maintained schools and academies. ↩
-
The high needs block is a ring-fenced part of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) that is used to fund provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). ↩
-
Minimum Funding Guarantee - protects schools from large year-on-year funding changes. ↩
-
The Safety Valve agreement is an agreement between the Department for Education and local authorities with high levels of deficit on their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) account. It involves the local authority implementing a plan to reduce their deficit, in return for additional funding from the Department for Education. ↩
Attendees
No attendees have been recorded for this meeting.
Topics
No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.