The Leicestershire Schools' Forum is scheduled to meet on Thursday 5 November 2026 to discuss the financial sustainability of schools and the provision of specialist places for pupils with special educational needs. The meeting will also consider a request to continue an exceptional premises factor within the school funding formula.

School Sustainability and Sufficiency

A significant portion of the meeting is expected to focus on the financial sustainability of schools within Leicestershire. Reports are scheduled to be presented that will detail the findings of an independent review by EPI, which has assessed budget forecasts, staffing affordability, pupil-to-teacher ratios, leadership costs, SEND funding, and deficit recovery plans for maintained schools. The review involved direct engagement with 45 schools and desktop reviews of 20 others. The aim is to identify opportunities for savings, with the expectation that these will begin to materialise in the 2027-28 budget cycle, while balanced budgets remain an immediate priority. The reports will also address the sufficiency of specialist places for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Leicestershire currently has 9 area special schools, 37 resource provisions, units, and specialist bases, providing approximately 2,700 specialist places. Despite over 600 new places being created in the last five academic years, demand continues to exceed capacity, with all area special schools operating over capacity and most smaller provisions being full or near full. The number of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) numbers has risen by approximately 22.5% between January 2025 and January 2026. The meeting will also cover the High Needs Capital Programme, which includes plans for a new 252-place area special school at Husbands Bosworth, scheduled for September 2028.

Exceptional Premises Factor Disapplication Request

The Schools' Forum will consider a request to continue the application of an exceptional premises factor within the Leicestershire school funding formula for the 2027-28 academic year. This factor is intended to provide financial support for a small number of schools that incur unavoidable rental costs for essential buildings or sports facilities, which are not recognised within the national funding formula. These costs arise due to estate limitations, planning restrictions, or the absence of suitable on-site provision. The report indicates that for 2026/27, the total cost of this factor was £82,670, supporting seven schools, and this funding is met from within the Schools Block. The report will seek approval for the continuation of this factor and endorsement for a disapplication request to the Department for Education (DfE) to allow it to remain operational within the local formula.

SEN Investment Fund

The meeting is also scheduled to review the allocation and impact of the SEN Investment Fund. The report indicates that the full fund has been allocated or committed, supporting initiatives such as Oakfield primary outreach, secondary in-school alternative provision, a music-based alternative provision pilot, and educational psychology consultations. Early evidence suggests positive impacts on staff confidence and access to support. An underspend has arisen due to lower-than-assumed training uptake, and officers propose retaining this balance for collective benefit, with planned uses including visiting assistant educational psychologists, supply teaching assistants, and expansion of an assistive-technology lending library.

Forward Plan

The meeting will also include a review of the forward plan for future Leicestershire Schools' Forum meetings. Items scheduled for discussion at the meeting on 11 February 2027 include the 2027-28 school budget, an update on school sustainability, and a decision in principle regarding the de-delegation of school improvement funds for 2027-2028.

The full public reports pack for this meeting can be accessed online¹.