This meeting was about agreeing how Bradford Council should use its funding for schools in the next financial year. It included updates on expected funding levels, updates on the council's finances and an update on the consultation on the funding of early years education. It also included a request for the Schools Forum to agree to allocate money from the Schools Block Growth Fund to a number of Secondary Schools in Bradford.

High Needs Block Deficit

The council provided an update on the expected finances of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The meeting papers say that this is likely to be in deficit by £11.8m at the end of the next financial year, up from a projected surplus of £17.6m at the end of this financial year. The report pack says that this deficit is due to a forecasted overspend of £28.4m in the High Needs Block, which funds the council's support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The papers say this overspend is being driven by an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with SEND, and an increase in the cost of providing for them. To address this deficit the council proposed that:

• The Schools Block, which funds mainstream schools, transfers £2.6m to the High Needs Block.
• Unspent funds from previous years be 'pooled' and used to offset the overspend in the High Needs Block.
• The SEND Funding Floor, which provides additional money to mainstream schools that support SEND pupils, is revised.
• The council's funding for special schools be cut.
• The council stop increasing the payments it makes to schools for supply teachers to cover maternity and paternity leave.
• The amount of money paid to schools to support trade union activity be reduced.

The council provided an update on its plans to try to reduce the High Needs Block deficit. The papers say that the council plans to:

• Continue to create new school places for pupils with SEND.
• Continue to develop Resourced Provisions in mainstream schools.
• Trial the ELSEC speech and language therapy programme.
• Implement the findings of a peer review and a report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on how to make savings in SEND provision.

The council included the response of Co-op Academies Trust to its proposals to reduce funding for special schools. The Trust operates two special schools in Bradford, Co-op Academy Delius and Co-op Academy Southfield. The Trust said it was concerned about the impact of the proposals on pupils with SEND and said it was unhappy with the quality of the consultation on the changes.

Schools Block Funding

The papers include an update on the Schools Block, which funds mainstream primary and secondary schools. They say that the Government has announced an additional £2.3bn for the national Schools Block in 2025/26, but that this is less than had been expected. They say that this means the Schools Block is expected to receive an increase of 0.6% in 2025/26, down from a projected increase of 1%. They also say that the Government has announced a rise in the level of National Insurance that employers will have to pay. They say that the Government has said it will give schools additional funding to help pay for this, but it is not yet clear how much this will be or how it will work.

The papers say that the council plans to continue to use the National Funding Formula (NFF) to decide how much money to give each school. This is a set of rules that takes into account the number of pupils a school has and how many of them are from disadvantaged backgrounds. They say they are also considering introducing a 'Gains Cap', which would limit how much extra money schools can receive as a result of changes in the NFF.

The report pack says that the council is considering ceasing the scheme that pays schools for supply teachers to cover maternity and paternity leave. They say that some schools have already bought commercial insurance to cover these costs.

Early Years Block

The papers say that the council plans to continue to use the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) to decide how much money to give to nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders. They say that they will consult on the details of this formula in the new year. They say that the Government has said it will reduce the amount of money that councils can keep back from the Early Years Block, which funds early years provision. This is down from 5% in 2024/25 to 4% in 2025/26.

Schools Block Growth Fund Allocations

The Schools Forum was asked to approve the allocation of money from the Schools Block Growth Fund to a number of Secondary Schools in Bradford. The report pack says that this fund is used to support schools that have been asked to expand by the council. The Schools Forum was asked to approve funding for the following schools:

• Appleton Academy, to support them taking an additional 6 pupils.
• Bingley Grammar School, to support them taking an additional 35 pupils.
• Carlton Bolling College, to support them taking an additional 30 pupils.
• Dixons City Academy, to support them taking an additional 8 pupils.
• Dixons McMillan Academy, to support them taking an additional 19 pupils.
• Dixons Trinity Academy, to support them taking an additional 25 pupils.
• Feversham College, to support them taking an additional 10 pupils.
• Ilkley Grammar School, to support them taking an additional 12 pupils.
• Immanuel College, to support them taking an additional 30 pupils.
• Trinity Academy Bradford, to support them taking an additional 20 pupils.

The papers say that the council has set aside £950,000 for the Schools Block Growth Fund, as well as £1,149,172 from the previous year. The allocations proposed in the report pack total £472,589, leaving £1,626,583 for further allocations.