The Schools Forum of Warwickshire Council met on Thursday 25 June 2026 to discuss the financing of schools, the outturn of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for the 2025-26 financial year, and an update on SEND reforms. The meeting also covered the timetable for de-delegation consultations and the forward plan for future meetings.

Scheme for Financing Schools

A key item scheduled for discussion was the Section 48 Scheme for Financing Schools. This scheme, which applies to maintained schools¹ in Warwickshire, outlines the financial relationship between the local authority and the schools it maintains. The report pack indicated that the proposed updates for the 2026/27 scheme were limited and focused on clarifying existing requirements and aligning terminology with the council's financial governance framework. No new policy requirements or material alterations to the financial relationship were anticipated, and therefore, consultation with schools was not deemed necessary. The recommendation was for maintained school representatives on the Schools Forum to note these updates.

Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Outturn 2025-26

The forum was scheduled to receive an update on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) financial outturn position for the 2025-26 financial year. The report indicated that the total DSG allocation for Warwickshire was £702.252m, but the final outturn showed an overspend of £72.396m. This overspend was primarily driven by the High Needs Block, which exceeded its budget by £74.549m. The report detailed significant overspends within the High Needs Block related to top-up payments for special schools, independent special schools, and post-16 provision, as well as alternative provision. The Schools Block showed a small underspend of £0.158m, while the Early Years Block had an underspend of £1.595m, partly due to a late-announced increase in early years funding. The Central School Services Block also had a minor underspend. The report noted that the government had announced additional grant to fund 90% of the cumulative deficit up to the end of 2025-26 through the High Needs Stability Grant, and the authority was in the process of applying for this.

DSG SEND Reform – Update

An update was scheduled regarding the reforms to the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The reforms are guided by principles of early, local, fair, effective, and shared support for children and families. Key elements of the reform include a maturity matrix, a universal offer, an Experts at Hand offer, and a review of support bases, specialist bases, and special schools, with a focus on financial sustainability. The report highlighted projections for an increase in the number of children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, with a significant demand for specialist provision. Plans were in place to increase resourced provision places and expand special schools. The forum was to be informed about the current sufficiency of places and existing plans for expansion. The report also touched upon specialist packages for various needs, specialist bases in secondary and primary schools, and the financial sustainability challenges associated with the transition to new funding models. The local authority was due to submit a Local SEND Reform Plan by Friday 10th July 2026.

De-delegation and Disapplication Consultation Timetable 2026-27

The Schools Forum was to be informed about the consultation timetable for de-delegation for the 2027-28 academic year. De-delegation allows certain services to maintained schools to be provided centrally, with funding retained by the local authority. The report listed services that had been approved for de-delegation in 2026-27, including Free School Meal Eligibility, English as an Additional Language, and Trade Union Facility Time Funding. The proposed timetable for the 2027-28 consultation involved sending information to maintained schools by 29 June 2026, with a deadline for responses by 11 September 2026, and decisions to be made by the Schools Forum on 24 September 2026. Additionally, the forum was to be informed about the estimated timetable for any potential consultation on transferring funding between schools funding blocks, such as from the Schools Block DSG to the High Needs Block DSG, with indicative dates for consultation and potential disapplication to the Department for Education.

Forward Plan

The Schools Forum's forward plan for the 2026-2027 academic year was presented. Provisional items for future meetings included decisions on de-delegation for 2027-28, the Scheme for Financing Schools, and the 2027-28 National Funding Formula. Items for information and comment included the DSG 2026-27 Forecast Q1, the 2027-28 National Funding Formula Timetable, the estimated Schools Budget for 2027-28, the DSG SEND Local Reform Plan, and Early Years & Childcare Place Sufficiency. The plan also indicated an extraordinary meeting on 5 November 2026.