The Schools Forum meeting scheduled for Thursday 22 January 2026 was set to discuss the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for the 2026/27 academic year and a plan to address the growing deficit within this grant. The meeting's agenda also included a review of the previous meeting's minutes and any other business.

2026/27 Dedicated Schools Grant

A significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to be dedicated to the 2026/27 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The report pack outlined the final DSG allocation for the upcoming academic year, detailing how this funding would be distributed across four blocks: High Needs, Early Years, Schools, and Schools Central.

The report indicated that the Schools Central Block funding was projected to see a net decrease of approximately 3%, necessitating a contribution of £660,000 from the Council's core funding to cover shortfalls. The Early Years Block, however, was set to increase by £10.7 million, with new government provisions for working parents and under-twos, alongside adjustments to funding rates.

The Schools Block was expected to rise by £10.5 million, primarily due to an increase in the per-pupil unit of funding, despite a reduction in pupil numbers. This increase was also influenced by the inclusion of previous grants for teacher pay and pension contributions. The report detailed proposed changes to the National Funding Formula (NFF) for 2026/27, including the integration of certain grants and the setting of minimum per-pupil funding levels. Option 4 was recommended for the NFF, which involved increasing the Average Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) by £9 per pupil while maintaining a 0.0% Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG).

The High Needs Block was projected to increase by £4.8 million in cash terms, but a real-terms increase of around 3.4% was noted after accounting for the inclusion of other grants. Despite this increase, expenditure was predicted to rise at a faster rate due to growing pupil numbers and the extended scope of the High Needs Block to cover ages 0-25. This was forecast to result in a deficit of approximately £16.5 million per annum over the next four years. The report highlighted that the overall DSG deficit was estimated to reach £42.3 million by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

DSG Deficit Recovery Plan

A crucial item on the agenda was the DSG Deficit Recovery Plan, which aimed to address the growing financial pressures on the Dedicated Schools Grant, particularly within the High Needs Funding block. The report acknowledged the national context of a significant cumulative DSG deficit across local authorities, with projections indicating substantial future deficits for Bromley.

The plan outlined existing workstreams and proposed a detailed set of actions for the Council and its partners to transform the local SEND system and improve financial sustainability. Key proposed mitigations included the establishment of two new specialist satellite provisions, which were anticipated to generate savings by avoiding future out-of-borough and independent placements. Further actions included restructuring SEN Statutory Assessment Teams, introducing a High Cost Placements Panel, and developing universal, targeted, and specialist models for Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy. The plan also detailed a review of SEN tuition packages, the development of in-house tuition provision, and an increase in local specialist provision capacity.

The report noted that Bromley had not received support from government programmes such as the Safety Valve or Delivering Better Value programmes, meaning its cumulative DSG deficit reflected the impact of national systemic SEND pressures. The plan also referenced the upcoming SEND White Paper from the Department for Education (DfE), indicating that the recovery plan would be updated following its publication.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The meeting was also scheduled to review the minutes from the previous Schools Forum meeting held on 10 July 2025. The report pack indicated that this would include noting the provisional outturn report for 2024/25, which highlighted pressures within Education Core Funding (SEN transport), Children's Social Care (placement costs), and the High Needs area of the DSG.

Constitution of the Schools Forum

The report pack also included information regarding the Constitution of the Schools Forum. This report had been presented to the Children, Education and Families Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee in September 2025 for approval. The proposed amendments aimed to make it easier to fill vacancies and maintain the Forum's membership, including allowing up to two school representatives from a single school or academy trust and merging Head and Governor/Trustee positions.

Schools Finance Regulations 2025

The Schools Finance Regulations 2025 were also scheduled for noting. These regulations were aimed at the four remaining maintained schools in Bromley and included a change allowing these schools to make their own arrangements for credit/purchase cards, moving away from the Council's administered scheme. A change in the Council's banking from HSBC to Barclays was also noted.

Spending by Primary, Secondary and Special Maintained Schools in 2024-25

A report on the spending by Primary, Secondary, and Special Maintained Schools in 2024/25 was presented for information. This report detailed revenue and capital balances held by these schools as of 31 March 2025, showing an increase in revenue balances for Maintained Primary Schools. The report confirmed that Bromley did not require further analysis from the DfE regarding overspends or deficits.