The North Northamptonshire Schools Forum met remotely via Zoom to discuss a range of issues, including Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) monitoring, school funding, and special educational needs. The attendees were scheduled to elect a chair and vice-chair, and to discuss updates on various funding blocks and policies.

Here's a more detailed look at the topics that were scheduled to be discussed:

High Needs Block Funding

The Schools Forum was scheduled to consider the financial position of the High Needs Block (HNB) of the DSG. The HNB funds special educational provision and placements for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), and associated resources and support.

The forum was to note that the HNB budget for 2025/26 was set at £85.1 million, including an in-year pressure of £19.4 million, and that spending was forecast to overspend by the end of the financial year. Pressures on the budget included:

• an increasing number of statutory assessment requests
• more children and young people being identified with complex special educational needs
• mainstream schools challenging the Local Authority's consultation to agree to offer places for children and young people
• increased parental preference for specialist settings
• Alternative Provision and independent special school providers increasing their fees
• a lack of capacity in local state-funded special schools

The forum was also scheduled to discuss work to mitigate these increases and budget pressures, including:

• Bring Backs making Education Otherwise Than at School and other education arrangements for children and young people at independent special schools
• reviewing and revising EHC Officer and SEND Panel training
• closely supervised casework negotiations with education providers
• sufficiency work to increase the number of state-funded specialist places available locally
• research to benchmark North Northamptonshire's top-up funding band values against regional and most similar LAs
• ongoing engagement by Children's Services Senior Leaders with the Council's Executive and wider SEND partnership

The forum was asked to note the increasing pressures within the HNB, the work being undertaken to manage the High Needs Funding envelope, and to agree in principle to a transfer of at least 0.5% from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block.

School Balances Control Policy

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss and consider approving the School Balances Control Policy for the 2026-27 financial year. The policy sets out how North Northamptonshire Council will manage surplus balances held by maintained schools¹.

Under the policy, schools can retain balances up to 10% of their budget. For amounts in excess of this, the school would need to meet certain criteria and evidence this through a 'Surplus Balance Analysis Form'. A clawback of balances could occur if the reasons for retaining the surplus balance fail to meet the criteria set out in the policy, or if the school fails to submit a Surplus Balance Analysis within the prescribed timescale.

Transfer from Schools Block to High Needs Block

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss a proposal to transfer funding from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block for the 2026-27 financial year. Councillor Elizabeth Wright, NNC Executive Member for Children, Education and Families, has previously stated that the council is committed to ensuring that all children in North Northamptonshire have access to a high-quality education.

The report stated that North Northamptonshire Council intended to consult schools on a proposal to transfer funding from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block for the 2026-27 financial year because of ongoing and increasing cost pressures on the High Needs Block. The cumulative High Needs budget deficit was £20.890m as at Quarter 1, and the deficit was expected to continue escalating in future years if the current demand for high needs places persisted.

In 2025-26, the Schools Forum agreed to a transfer of 0.5% from the Schools Block funding, amounting to £1.545m. Considering continued financial pressures, North Northamptonshire Council was seeking the Schools Forum's agreement in principle for a similar transfer for the 2026-27 financial year.

The Schools Forum was asked to note the increasing pressures within the High Needs Block, the work being undertaken by officers to develop a proposal to manage the High Needs Funding envelope, and to agree in principle to a transfer of at least 0.5% from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block.

School Effectiveness Service Proposal

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss the de-delegation of funding for the School Effectiveness Team (SET) for maintained schools in 2026-27. The SET provides direct support for maintained schools requiring specific targeted improvement, including:

• providing an Interim Head Teacher
• coaching and mentoring for the Senior Leadership Team and Head Teacher
• middle leader development
• Head Teacher recruitment support for Governors
• brokerage of school-to-school support
• the initiation of a Targeted Rapid Improvement Process (TRIP)
• specific training and support for Governors
• working with external partners
• specific training and support for teachers and senior leaders

The council proposed to ask maintained schools' representatives to increase de-delegation for this purpose to £14.02 per pupil, in line with the inflationary increase in teachers' pay.

Trade Union Facilities Time

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss and vote on whether to de-delegate funding for trade union facilities time for maintained schools in 2026/27.

North Northamptonshire Council has a Recognition Agreement with trade unions, which covers schools where the council is the employer. The council was scheduled to ask maintained school forum members to vote to pool their facility time arrangements in 2026/27, and to vote on a per pupil rate. Two proposals were put forward for consideration:

• To retain the current level of per pupil funding at £4.00, which would reduce the level of facilities time due to inflationary pressures on staffing costs.
• To increase the current rate of £4.00 in line with the teacher's pay settlement of 4%, to give a new rate of £4.16 per pupil.

School Insurance Service

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss the de-delegation of funding for school insurance services for 2026-27. North Northamptonshire Council accesses insurance cover via the Schools and Academies Insurance Framework (SAIF), a procurement framework in collaboration with Solihull MBC and others.

The Schools Forum was asked to note the available purchasing options for insurance:

• Option 1: The Schools Forum agree to the de-delegation of the service to primary and secondary schools, with the provision available to other types of school as a traded service, on the proviso that Zurich's terms are at a lower cost than the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA).
• Option 2: The Schools Forum refuse the de-delegation of the service to primary and secondary schools, and the provision of insurance cover through the local authority will become a traded service for all settings.

Growth Fund Update

The Schools Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the Pupil Growth Fund (PGF), which provides revenue funding to schools to employ the necessary staff to allow for the provision of new school places.

The forum was scheduled to discuss a proposed revision to the Growth Fund Policy to revise this in line with the most recent guidance provided by the DfE in Growth and falling rolls fund guidance: 2024 to 2025 .

School Condition Allocation Funding and Prioritisation Policy

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss North Northamptonshire Council's policy for allocating School Condition Allocation (SCA) funding to maintained schools between 2025 and 2029. The SCA is capital funding provided by the Department for Education (DfE) to help maintain and improve the condition of maintained schools' buildings and grounds.

The policy identifies the process to identify a programme of condition works for local authority maintained individual schools. All North Northamptonshire Maintained Schools will have a condition survey undertaken, which will be completed by NNC and used to develop a School Condition Programme for maintained schools.

Early Years Update

The Schools Forum was scheduled to receive an update on early years funding and entitlements, including:

• 30 hours free funding for every child over the age of 9 months with working parents/carers by September 2025
• a pilot of Early Years Band C funding, where SENIF Plus will change to Early Years Band C funding and form part of the existing Early Years SENIF process, funding more children within the childcare sector with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Permanent Exclusions Update

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss the permanent exclusion clawback policy, where funding is reclaimed from schools and academies that permanently exclude pupils.

The forum was asked to agree to continue to align the LA policy with current legislation and government guidance with respect to funding clawback for pupils who are permanently excluded.

LA Commission Outreach Services

The Schools Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the commissioning of outreach services. The current locality and therapeutic SEND Outreach service is delivered by four providers, and to ensure continuity of service and compliance with procurement regulations, a new procurement process is proposed for delivery from 1 September 2026.

Top-Up Funding Bandings Proposals

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss a review of the SEND funding arrangements in North Northamptonshire. The methodologies to describe special educational needs (SEND) and determine a tariff of special educational provision are historic, and some arrangements haven't been reviewed for more than a decade.