The West Northamptonshire Schools Forum is scheduled to meet to discuss school and early years funding for 2026-27, including the outcomes of recent consultations. They will also discuss updates to high needs provisions, and a new West Northamptonshire Council Section 19 Policy Statement.

School Funding 2026-27

The Schools Forum is scheduled to discuss the responses to the schools budget consultation for 2026-27. According to the report pack, West Northamptonshire Council received 23 responses from 185 schools, a response rate of 12.4%. The consultation covered several topics:

• Transfer of funds to high needs: The council is proposing to continue transferring 0.5% of funding from the schools block to the high needs block, as has been done each year since 2023-24. Of the respondents, 43% agreed with the transfer, while 22% disagreed. Those who agreed requested greater transparency in how the funding is spent. Those who disagreed noted the difficulty schools face in setting balanced budgets.
• Cap on per-pupil increases: The consultation asked for views on capping per-pupil increases to balance the overall grant funding if it does not cover the full national funding formula¹. 22% agreed with the cap, and 26% disagreed. Concerns were raised that capping could unfairly affect schools with planned strategic growth and those in low socio-economic areas.
• Growth funding: The Schools Forum will consider the proposal for growth funding for new and growing schools where new classes are being added but are not yet in the October census. 48% of respondents agreed with the proposal. Some respondents asked whether weighted numbers would result in taking funding from other schools.
• Growth fund budget: The Schools Forum will also consider the proposed budget to cover additional classes in schools in 2026-27. 52% of responses agreed with the budget.
• Falling rolls fund: The consultation included a question on whether to create a falling rolls fund. 74% of respondents agreed with the creation of such a fund.
• Funding for a falling rolls fund: The consultation also asked whether the falling rolls fund should be funded by taking £0.5m from the schools block for 2026-27. 61% agreed with this proposal.
• Central school services block expenditure: The consultation sought views on the proposed central schools services block expenditure. 48% agreed with the continuation of these services.
• Trade union facility time: Maintained primary school members will be asked whether they agree with the trade union facility time de-delegation². Two options were provided: £7.93 to fund the current hours of facility time being used in 2025-26, or £8.25 to increase the rate to match the teachers' pay award in September 2025.
• School improvement grant: Maintained primary school members will also be asked about the continuation of the school improvement grant at the rate of £4.50 per pupil.
• Redundancy fund: Maintained primary school members will also be asked about the proposal for the continuation of the redundancy fund to support schools that are restructuring to prevent a deficit budget.

The Schools Forum will be asked to vote on each of these proposals.

Early Years Funding 2026-27

The Schools Forum is scheduled to discuss the outcome of the consultation on the proposed arrangements for the Early Years Funding Formula for 2026-27. The council consulted early years providers on their views on the funding principles for funding rates for 2026-27. The council's proposals included:

• Passing all of the increase on 3 and 4-year-old funding through the base rate for universal and extended hours.
• Increasing the pass-through to providers to 97% of the total budget for 3 and 4-year-old funding.
• Continuing to pass through 97% of the total budget for under 2s and 2-year-old funding.
• Continuing the deprivation supplement for 3 and 4-year-olds.
• Introducing a deprivation supplement for under 2s and 2-year-olds.
• Increasing the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF) hourly rate by £2.00, resulting in a new hourly rate of £12.00 for eligible providers.
• Continuing the current distribution of the ring-fenced part of the grant for Maintained Nursery Schools.

The early years consultation ran from 3 November 2025 to 28 November 2025. West Northamptonshire Council received 47 completed responses. The consultation found that:

• 89.3% of respondents agreed with passing all of the increase on 3 and 4-year-old funding through the base rate for universal and extended hours.
• 68% agreed with setting the early years central budget for 3 and 4-year-old funding at 3% and passing through 97% of the allocated funding entitlement allocation to providers.
• 57% agreed with continuing to support the arrangements of West Northamptonshire Council retaining 3% for early years central spend for the under 2's and 2 years old funding.
• 17% agreed with the introduction of the deprivation supplement for 9 months and 2 years old.
• 34% agreed that any unspent central budget should be used to offset any overspends in other areas of the early years budget.
• 83% agreed with increasing the existing SENIF hourly rate by £2.00.
• 26% agreed with the Maintained Nursery School proposal to continue the current distribution of this ring-fenced part of the grant.

Respondents also commented that they would like to have seen the modelling on the proposed rates for early years funding for 2026-27, and raised concerns about sustainability for the early years sector.

High Needs Update

Ben Pearson, Assistant Director - Education, is scheduled to provide a verbal update on high needs.

Schools White Paper

Ben Pearson, Assistant Director - Education, is also scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Schools White Paper³.

New West Northamptonshire Council Section 19 Policy Statement

Ben Pearson, Assistant Director - Education, is scheduled to present the new West Northamptonshire Council Section 19 Policy Statement. The report pack states that the Section 19 policy was approved by Cabinet on 11th November 2025, and that this is the first time a policy has been in place.

The report pack explains that:

The section 19 policy details the Local Authority's statutory duty to Provide Education under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 which states:

'Each local authority in England shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable education at school or otherwise than at school for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them.'

The policy is intended to provide clarity to schools and parents/carers when the duty should apply and confirm the council's approach. The report pack also notes that in August 2024, the Department for Education introduced new statutory guidance for schools and local authorities, 'Working Together to Improve School Attendance'.

The policy states that when the council has determined that Section 19 applies, and where a child is on roll at a school, a proportionate amount of pupil funding (Age Weighted Pupil Unit, AWPU) will be reclaimed from the school to support funding the provision. This arrangement will cease when the child is reintegrated back to their home school or are no longer on the roll of the home school.

The report pack includes the Section 19 Policy, which sets out West Northamptonshire's approach to meeting the needs of children for whom it has a legal responsibility to provide an education, but who, for reasons relating to illness, exclusion or otherwise, experience barriers to accessing a full and suitable education offer.

The policy includes appendices such as an individual healthcare plan template, and notification forms for schools and parents.