The Gloucestershire Schools Forum met remotely on 8 October 2025 to discuss school funding, high needs, and education capital updates. The forum was also scheduled to review the minutes from their previous meeting and receive an update on the f40 Group.

School Funding 2026/27

The Gloucestershire Schools Forum were scheduled to discuss school funding for the 2026/27 year. The report pack included a recommendation for the Schools Forum to agree that the local authority can make phased lump sum allocations of 70% in year one and up to 40% in year 2 for any primary school that is formed in the future by bringing together an Infant School and Junior School.

The report pack noted that the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that the schools budget support grant (SBSG) and the National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant will be rolled into the National Funding Formula (NFF) for 2026/27 at their full-year equivalent funding rates and have announced the amounts that will be rolled into each factor.

As in previous years, local authorities will be allowed to transfer up to and including 0.5% of the schools block into another block, with schools forum approval.

The report pack also noted that in June 2025, the government announced that, starting from September 2026, free school meals (FSM) will be extended to all children in households receiving Universal Credit. For 2026/27, they are not proposing any changes to the schools NFF to allocate funding for this expansion of FSM, and instead, the funding needed for the FSM expansion will be provided through a separate grant.

High Needs

The Schools Forum were scheduled to discuss the High Needs report, which included a review of the forecast for the 2025/26 High Needs Block, an update on the delivery of the local SEND and Inclusion Improvement plan and the DfE SEND and AP Change Programme, and an update on the development of national reforms to the SEND system.

The report pack included a forecast for September 2025, which anticipated an overspend of £44.586 million, compared to the budget forecast of £44.661 million.

The report pack also included data on the distribution of Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) across the mainstream system.

The report pack noted that the number of EHCPs continues to rise. In the academic year 2024/25 needs assessment requests rose to 1,710 and increase of 178 (11.6%) from the previous year.

The report pack also contained highlight reports from the SEND and Inclusion Local Area Partnership (SILAP), including reports on:

• Workforce Development
• SEND Exclusions
• Strengthening Joint Commissioning
• SEND Quality and Performance
• Communication and Co Production
• Whole School Inclusion Programme
• Improving Post 16 Commissioning Advice and Guidance
• AP Transformation
• Preparing for Adulthood
• ELSEC
• DCYPs
• Multi Agency Forum Progress
• Specialist Teaching Educational Psychology - Workforce development and EHCNA timeliness
• Y6-7 Transition report Advisory Teaching Service and Educational Psychology (STEPS)
• Sufficiency Report SCT
• Access to Health Services - Children's Autism and ADHD Assessment Service (CAAAS)
• Access to Health Services - Children's Mental Health Services Core CAMHS
• Access to Health Services-Children's Physical Therapies Occupational Therapy
• Access to Health Services-Children's Physical Therapies Physiotherapy

Education Capital Update

The Schools Forum were scheduled to receive an update on education capital spending. The revised annual budget for the 2025/26 Schools Capital Programme is £22.319 million, and the financial year spend as at the end of August 2025 was £4.013 million.

The forum was scheduled to hear updates on key capital projects, including:

• New 200 place Special School, Gloucester, where construction started on site on 16th June, and work is progressing well and on programme. The school will provide 200 places for children young people (4-16) with moderate and additional learning difficulties (MALD) in a purpose-built facility at Wheatridge East in Abbeydale, Gloucester and will enable pupils to be supported closer to where they live. The school is scheduled to be open by January 2027 and will be part of the Reach South Multi Academy Trust.
• New 200 place Special School, Cheltenham, where detailed design work is progressing, and a planning application is planned before the end of October. The school will be located on a county council owned site off Arle Road in Cheltenham. In September 2025, the DfE appointed Enable Trust as the MAT to run the new school. Subject to planning it is currently scheduled for the places to be available from 2028.
• Feasibility work is underway to explore what additional provision could be provided to meet the needs of children and young people, including exploring expansion of Sladewood Academy Stroud and to extend the age range so it is a 4-16 school.

The forum was also scheduled to hear that the latest school place forecasts continue to reflect a general decline in birth rates across the county, but that despite this general decline there are still some areas of the county where additional capacity is needed, primarily to meet additional growth from new housing developments.

F40

The Schools Forum were scheduled to receive an update on the work of the f40 Group, which was reported to be currently focused on influencing the direction of the funding policy.

The f40 Group was reported to be asking for a review of the formulas for: school funding, the High Needs block and the Schools block; an increase in the quantum - investing in mainstream and early years; and a solution to address accumulated local authority deficits.

The f40 Group was also reported to be working with the DfE around the national reforms as part of the Change Programme, with the focus of Phase 2 of the programme being on creating an inclusive and sustainable system.