The Lincolnshire Schools' Forum met virtually on Thursday, 9 July 2026. The meeting saw the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair for the upcoming year, and discussions included an update on the Forum's constitution and membership, the Section 251 budget statement for 2026/27, and initiatives to support high needs provision.

Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

The Forum elected Tristan Revell as Chair and Josh Greaves as Vice-Chair for the 2026-27 academic year.

Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Constitution and Membership Update

Mark Popplewell, Strategic Finance Lead for Children's Services, presented a report on the Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Constitution and Membership. He confirmed that there were no material changes to the Forum's operation for 2026. The school membership composition also remained unchanged, and this would form the basis for recruiting to existing vacancies. The report detailed the Forum's terms of reference, which cover its origins, purpose, role, functions, decision-making powers, and consultation rights. The composition requirements, including the stipulation that non-school members should not exceed one-third of the total membership, were confirmed as being compliant. A self-assessment against the Department for Education's (DfE) checklist was also presented, with no significant issues noted. Mr. Popplewell also mentioned that finance colleagues were preparing a training schedule for members, covering regulations, reporting requirements, and detailed information on school formula factor arrangements.

Section 251 Budget Statement 2026/27

Elizabeth Bowes, Strategic Finance Manager, presented the Section 251 budget statement for the 2026/27 financial year. This statement outlines the planned spending on the schools budget, de-delegated items, high needs budget, early years budget, central provision, and children's and young people's services. The report highlighted that Lincolnshire continued to adopt the National Funding Formula (NFF) for mainstream schools, with adjustments made to address an affordability gap. A significant point raised was the planned overspend on the High Needs Block, a challenge being experienced nationally, with Lincolnshire anticipating an overspend of £34.5 million. The report also detailed the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2026/27, which is divided into four blocks: Schools, Central Schools Services, High Needs, and Early Years. The Schools Block is ring-fenced, with only a 0.5% transfer to other blocks permitted with Schools' Forum agreement. The report noted that Lincolnshire's DSG deficit stood at £25.005 million as of March 2026, with the DfE providing support for historic deficits subject to the approval of Lincolnshire's Local SEND Reform plan.

High Needs Initiatives

Kate Capel, Head of Inclusion, provided an update on the use of the 0.5% Schools Block transfer to the High Needs Block for 2024/25 and 2025/26. This transfer was used to fund several initiatives aimed at alleviating the high needs deficit and improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These initiatives included:

• SEND Workforce Development: The Lincolnshire SEND Platform was updated with new modules, and over 15,359 modules had been completed by the end of Term 4, 2025/26, with a 99% satisfaction rate.
• Transition Support: The Pupil Reintegration Team (PRT) was expanded to include three additional Transition Caseworkers and a Transition Officer, supporting pupils transitioning from alternative provision, special schools, or interim home tuition back to mainstream settings. By the end of Term 4, 2025/26, 24 pupils had been successfully transitioned.
• Behaviour Support Review: A review commissioned from Positive Regard (part of Wellspring Academy Trust) engaged 72% of secondary schools and contributed to a 16% decrease in permanent exclusions in 2024/25. A follow-up Specialist Leader Programme was also commissioned for 30 secondary schools.
• Inclusion Quality and Effective Team: This newly established team, comprising an Inclusion Team Manager and four Quality and Effectiveness Advisors, conducted whole school inclusion audits and provided ongoing support to 56 schools. The team's work contributed to a 3% decrease in permanent exclusions across Lincolnshire schools in the academic year to the end of Term 4.
• SEND Hubs and AP Hubs: The development of mainstream Hubs aims to increase the availability of provision within local communities, embed inclusive practice, and support the financial sustainability of the SEND system. Currently, 11 classes across 8 SEND Hubs are open, with 18 more in development. A SEND and AP Support Base Capital Grants Scheme was also launched to help schools develop or enhance internal support bases.

Academies and Trust Update

Ady Clarke, Education Reorganisation Officer, presented an update on the number of academies, pupils in academies, and academy trusts in Lincolnshire as of 1 June 2026. The report indicated that no further schools had converted to academy status since April 2026, and no conversions were scheduled for the next six months. The data showed that 55.5% of all schools in Lincolnshire were academies, accounting for 75.2% of pupils. The report also listed the academy trusts with the most academies in Lincolnshire, with Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust having 19 and Community Inclusive Trust having 15. The trend of academy trusts consolidating and single academies joining larger trusts was noted.

Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Work Programme

Rachel Wilson, Democratic Services Officer, presented the Schools' Forum Work Programme. It was confirmed that the next meeting in July would be held online, and the October meeting would be held in person. The work programme included planned items such as updates on the National Funding Formula, de-delegation of maintained primary school budgets, revised schools budgets, and alternative provision.

The meeting was held virtually via Microsoft Teams.