The Richmond Schools Forum met to discuss school place planning, financial updates, and the Scheme for Financing Schools. The forum noted reports on school place planning, the 2024/2025 financial position, and the SEND Futures Plan. Members approved an update to the Scheme for Financing Schools for the 2025/26 year.

Scheme for Financing Schools

The Schools Forum approved an update to the Scheme for Financing Schools for maintained schools for the 2025/26 financial year. The [Scheme for Financing Schools][Item 10 Scheme for Financing Schools 1] is required to be updated annually, in accordance with Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance. The updated scheme includes a provision to pay undisputed energy invoices from a school's budget share, specifically when a school has an agreement with the Secretary of State for energy supply and fails to pay the invoice.

2025/26 Finance Update and 2026/27 Budget Planning

The Schools Forum reviewed the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation for 2025/26 and the projected outturn position, and noted the proposed budget setting timetable for 2026/27.

The latest DSG allocation for 2025/26 is £235.641m. This is broken down as follows:

• School Block: £162.429m
• Central School Services Block: £1.082m
• Early Years Block: £30.738m
• High Needs Block: £41.392m

The borough is projecting to spend £239.086m on DSG funded education services, which would result in a £3.445m shortfall and a cumulative deficit of £3.670m by the end of March 2026. This projected shortfall includes £1.5m for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) that are expected to be approved before the end of the financial year.

The projected spending for each block is as follows:

• Schools Block: Projected to be on budget at £162.429m.
• Central School Services Block: Projected underspend of £28,000, with a spend of £1.054m.
• Early Years Block: Projected underspend of £300,000, with a spend of £30.438m.
• High Needs Block: Projected overspend of £3.773m, with a spend of £43.665m, including £1.5m for future demand.

The report [2025/26 Finance Update][Item 7 2025_26 Finance Update] noted that unlike in previous years, Safety Valve Grant Funding and additional council funding are no longer relevant for 2025/26.

The Schools Forum approved a consultation with schools in advance of the September Forum meeting regarding centrally spent DSG budgets. The budget timetable for 2026/27 includes several key dates:

• July: Consultation on Central School Service Block and Schools Block de-delegation.
• September: Schools Forum to receive feedback on the July consultation and vote on de-delegated and central items.
• November: Schools Forum to receive feedback on the September consultation and vote on the local schools funding formula.
• December: DfE/ESFA to release the 2026/27 Early Years Funding Guidance and provisional grant allocation figures.
• January: Schools Forum to receive an update on grant allocations and consider the Early Years Funding Formula.
• February: The council to formally consider the application of 2026/27 funding and approve the 2026/27 budget.

School Place Planning

The Schools Forum received an update on school place planning developments, including demand, capacity, and ongoing projects related to primary, secondary, and specialist provisions.

Primary Schools:

• There has been a decrease in in-borough applications for Reception places for September 2025, with 1,795 applications compared to 1,866 in September 2024.
• Overall application numbers have decreased by 691 since 2015.
• The current occupancy level across primary schools is 84.5% against permanent Published Admission Numbers (PANs) and 92.6% against PANs with temporary reductions.
• There are 2,819 vacancies across all primary schools based on permanent PAN, compared to 2,530 last year.
• Seven schools are at or over 100% capacity, while 15 schools are below 80% capacity.
• In-year admissions remain high, with 1,297 applications in 2024-25.
• The Fair Access Panel (FAP) has been used to allocate places to vulnerable children.
• Temporary reductions of PANs have been agreed for several primary schools for September 2025.
• Permanent reductions in forms of entry have been agreed for Hampton Wick Infant, Stanley, Trafalgar Infant, and Trafalgar Junior schools from September 2026.

Secondary Schools:

• The borough is separated into east and west planning areas due to limited admissions movement between them.
• In-borough applicants for Year 7 places have increased significantly between 2015 and 2024 but have decreased in 2025.
• Additional places have been offered on National Offer Day (NOD) to accommodate more applicants.
• There were 18 unplaced children on NOD for September 2025, a reduction from 2024.
• The Year 7 number on roll across the borough has increased by 468 since 2015.
• The current occupancy level across all secondary schools is 100.6% against PAN.
• Schools in the east of the borough are at 105.2% capacity against PAN.
• The proposed Livingstone Academy West London relocation to Mortlake is awaiting a decision from the DfE.
• In-year admissions for secondary school places have increased, with 1,054 applications received in 2024-25.
• The Fair Access Panel has been used to allocate places to vulnerable children, with 23 children placed in 2024/25.

Specialist Provision:

• The number of pupils on roll in state-funded special schools has increased by 95.0% between 2012 and 2024.
• Demand for places at special schools is high.
• A review of Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) is underway, with a tiered banding system being introduced.
• The Clarendon Satellite Centre at Petersham and the Strathmore Satellite Centre at Hampton are expected to open in September 2026.
• The opening of the London River Academy has been delayed until 2027, requiring contingency plans.

Future Demand:

• Forecasts indicate a potential increase in surplus places in primary schools and a continued shortfall of secondary school places.
• Housing developments in Richmond, particularly in the east of the borough, indicate a need for additional places.

2024/25 Finance Outturn

The Schools Forum received a report on the 2024/25 finance outturn, which provided an overview of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation and expenditure. The report [2024/25 Finance Outturn][Item 6 2024_25 Finance Outturn] noted that the borough spent £216.593m on DSG funded education services, compared to a grant allocation of £213.038m, resulting in a shortfall of £3.555m. The overall fund is in deficit, with a cumulative deficit of £225,000 as of 31 March 2025.

The report also included an [analysis of movement in maintained school balances][Item 6 Appendix A B 2024-25 Forum] and academy/free school balances.

Key points from the report:

• The number of EHCPs increased by a net 212 since 31 March 2024, from 1,834 to 2,046.
• The council successfully claimed £0.960m in 'safety valve' funding.
• Mainstream school budgets remain strained, and there is a significant risk that the fund will remain in deficit in 2025/26.

The outturn position for each block was as follows:

• Schools Block: Underspend of £108,012 due to a recalculation of the school budget share for two schools that converted to academies.
• Central School Services Block: Underspend of £17,423, mainly related to ESFA contract changes for copyright licences, offset by the Education Inclusion service due to vacant posts.
• Early Years Block: Underspend of £410,982.
• High Needs Block: Overspend of £4,009,917, with significant work continuing to improve efficiency.

SEND Futures Plan Update

The Schools Forum received an update on the implementation of the SEND Futures Plan, Richmond's strategic plan to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The [SEND Futures Plan Update][Item 8 Richmond SEND Futures Plan Update - June 2025] noted that Richmond's Safety Valve Agreement has ended, and the council has requested clarity about future funding levels.

Key updates from the report:

• A project focused on developing a consistent model of resource allocation for Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) has been completed.
• The discovery phase for the therapies review has finished, and workstreams have been established to take improvement work forward.
• Priorities for the near future include the development of an expanded 'Catalyst Programme' and exploring the potential of offering the Kings Trust Achieve Programme.
• Pre-construction work has started on satellite sites at Clarendon and Strathmore, with an expected opening date of September 2026.
• The opening of the London River Academy has been further delayed until 2027, requiring contingency options.
• A key challenge is the availability of health services and joint health funding.

High Needs Block Subgroup Update

The Schools Forum received an update from the High Needs Block subgroup, which met on 6 January 2025. The [High Needs Block Meeting Minutes][Item 9 - Richmond Schools High Needs Block meeting minutes 13.5.2025 1] included a financial update, a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) review update, and a Formulate banding update.

Key discussion points from the meeting:

• The indicative Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) outturn figure is a £225,000 deficit, and the indicative High Needs Block (HNB) deficit is £4.069m, with a notable rise in Post-16 spend.
• Richmond's Safety Valve Agreement (SVA) has ended, and there is no guarantee the council funding will continue.
• The DfE cited Richmond's SVA as a model of good practice but acknowledged that the financial situation will revert to previous levels once the SVA funding ends.
• The Task and Finish group has completed its meetings, and a fourth version of the band descriptors, incorporating feedback from schools, has been distributed for the SRP review.
• From September, the Formulate banding tool will be mandatory for all new mainstream EHC plans.
• A Kingston Cluster Pilot aims to develop SEND provision across all schools and promote financial sustainability.