The Schools Forum of Warwickshire Council met on Thursday 19 March 2026 to discuss the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budget for the upcoming academic year, review the current financial monitoring report for the 2025-26 DSG, and receive an update on SEND reform and deficit recovery. The meeting also included a review of the forward plan for future meetings.

Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Budget 2026-27

The Schools Forum was scheduled to consider the proposed Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budget for the 2026-27 academic year. This report, introduced by John Orridge, Senior Accountant (Team Manager) – Education, outlined the allocations for the Schools, High Needs, and Early Years blocks, as well as the Central School Services Block (CSSB). The total DSG allocation for 2026/27 was projected to be £725.278 million, an increase of £47.455 million (7.0%) from the previous year. The Schools Block was set to increase by 5.2% to £518.239 million, with the High Needs Block rising by 3.1% to £88.083 million, and the Early Years Block seeing a significant increase of 19.9% to £114.165 million. The CSSB was allocated £4.792 million. The report recommended noting the DSG budget for all blocks and approving the proposed CSSB budget.

DSG Monitoring Report 2025-26

John Orridge also introduced the DSG Monitoring Report for the 2025-26 academic year, providing a financial update as at Quarter 3. This report was for information and comment. It highlighted a significant forecasted overspend of £69.937 million, equating to 20.97% of the total DSG allocation, which far exceeded the Department for Education's (DfE) threshold of 1%. The primary driver of this overspend was the High Needs Block, which was forecasting a £70.719 million deficit. The report detailed the reasons for these variances, including increased costs for top-up payments to mainstream and independent special schools, post-16 funding, and SENDAR Alternative Provision. The cumulative DSG reserve deficit was projected to be £147.851 million by the end of March 2026.

Update on SEND Reform and DSG Deficit Recovery

Ross Caws, Head of SEND and Inclusion, and John Orridge were scheduled to provide an update on SEND reform and the recovery of the DSG deficit. This update focused on the measures included in the February 2026 Local Government Financial Settlement, specifically the High Needs Stability Grant. This grant is intended to cover up to 90% of the cumulative High Needs DSG deficit as at 31 March 2026. However, access to this funding is contingent on the submission and approval of a Local SEND Reform Plan by 19 June 2026. The report detailed the conditions for the grant, the requirements for the reform plan, and the potential for increased scrutiny or intervention from central government if progress is not sufficient. The Experts at Hand offer, designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, was a key component of the proposed reform plans.

Forward Plan

Dalbir Kaur, Clerk to Schools Forum, was scheduled to present the Forward Plan for the Schools Forum for the upcoming year. This plan outlined provisional items for future meetings, including discussions on the Scheme for Financing Schools, de-delegation and disapplication consultations, and the National Funding Formula for subsequent academic years. The plan also indicated the dates and formats for upcoming meetings, with a mix of virtual and face-to-face sessions scheduled.

Voting and Actions from the Last Meeting

The meeting was also scheduled to review the voting and actions from the previous Schools Forum meeting held on 15 January 2026. This included a discussion and clarification regarding a 0.5% disapplication, with an action for officers to check the minutes to ensure accurate recording of the Forum's debate on this matter. The report pack indicated that the Schools Forum had previously recommended the implementation of the National Funding Formula in 2026-27, with 13 members agreeing and none disagreeing. Recommendations were also made regarding the Early Years National Funding Formula, with a preference for Option 1 (keeping the deprivation rate at £0.68 per eligible child) and the retention of 3% of funding from specific entitlement funding streams. An agreement was also reached to allocate funding from the Schools Block DSG to the Pupil Growth Fund.