The Lincolnshire Schools' Forum met on Thursday 09 July 2026 to discuss the constitution and membership of the forum, the Section 251 budget statement, and initiatives to support high needs pupils. The forum also received an update on academies and trusts within the county and reviewed its work programme.

Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Constitution and Membership Update

The Lincolnshire Schools' Forum's constitution and membership were reviewed and updated to reflect the current position of academies and maintained schools. Mark Popplewell, Strategic Finance Lead for Children's Services, presented the report, which confirmed that there were no material changes to the forum's operation for 2026/27. The school membership composition remains unchanged. The forum voted to endorse the updated constitution and membership document. The report also highlighted that non-school members constitute less than a third of the forum's total membership, adhering to regulations. A training schedule for finance colleagues, covering all aspects of schools forum operations, regulations, reporting requirements, and school formula factor arrangements, is also being rolled out.

Section 251 Budget Statement 2026/27

Elizabeth Bowes, Strategic Finance Manager, presented the Section 251 budget statement for the 2026/27 financial year. This statutory return provides transparency on how education funding will be allocated. The report detailed that 99.85% of the schools block has been devolved to schools, and 97.08% of the early years block has been allocated to the sector. However, the high needs block faces a projected overspend of £34.5 million, leading to a structural deficit for the first time. The council is forecasting this deficit despite proactive management of SEND demand. The Department for Education (DfE) will provide funding through the High Needs Sustainability Grant to cover 90% of the council's historic high needs DSG deficits, subject to the approval of Lincolnshire's SEND reform plan. The report also highlighted increases in the home to school transport budget (approximately 3%) and the children in care budget (approximately 27%), attributed to rising costs and increased demand. The forum was asked to note the contents of the report.

High Needs Initiatives

Kate Capel, Head of Inclusion, provided an update on the initiatives funded by the 0.5% Schools Block transfer to the High Needs Block in 2024/25 and 2025/26. These initiatives aim to strengthen mainstream inclusion, improve early intervention, increase local provision, and support a more sustainable high needs budget. Key initiatives include the expansion of the SEND Workforce Development Platform, which has seen high engagement and satisfaction rates, with schools showing improved behaviour outcomes. Transition support via additional staff in the Pupil Reintegration Team has helped pupils transition from alternative provision and special schools back to mainstream settings. A behaviour support review commissioned from Positive Regard has contributed to a decrease in permanent exclusions and suspensions in secondary schools. The Inclusion Quality and Effectiveness Team has been established to support mainstream schools in meeting additional needs, and the development of SEND Hubs and AP Hubs aims to increase local provision and embed inclusive practice. The report estimated that these initiatives have avoided costs of approximately £7.4 million to the high needs block annually. The forum was asked to note the progress made and recognize the importance of continued partnership between schools and the local authority.

Academies and Trust Update

Ady Clarke, Education Reorganisation Officer, presented an update on the number of academies, pupils attending academies, and academy trusts in Lincolnshire. As of 1 June 2026, there were no further schools that had become academies since the last meeting, and no conversion dates were set for the next six months. The report detailed the breakdown of schools by sector and their status as maintained or academy, with academies making up 75.2% of all schools and educating 73.9% of pupils. The report also listed the academy trusts with the most academies in Lincolnshire and noted a continuing trend of academy trusts consolidating. The forum was asked to note the contents of the report.

Lincolnshire Schools' Forum Work Programme

The forum discussed its work programme for future meetings. Items proposed for inclusion were an update on local government reorganisation, an update on the outcome of the recent SEND reform plan and sustainability grant for the high needs block, and continued monitoring of the hub rollouts. The next meeting in October was confirmed to be held in person. The forum was asked to note the content of the work programme.