The Kingston upon Thames Schools Forum met on 29 September 2025 to discuss school finances and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services in the borough. The forum was scheduled to discuss the 2025/26 financial year, the proposed budget for 2026/27, and updates to the SEND Futures Plan. Attendees were expected to have read the meeting materials in advance due to the length of the agenda.

2026/27 Budget

The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss the proposed budget for the 2026/27 financial year. The report pack included a recommendation that the Forum consider consultation responses and approve several items, including:

• Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership (KRSCP) Safeguarding Training for academies via a service level agreement (SLA).
• Schools Block de-delegated budgets for maintained schools only.
• 2025/26 Central Schools Services Block budgets for all schools.
• Targeted High Needs Fund and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• School improvement activity and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Funding for cluster budgets and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Primary Alternative Provision and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Secondary Alternative Provision places and funding options.
• Schools Trade Union Facilities Funding.

The Forum was also scheduled to consider further consultation on funding decisions to inform decision making at the November meeting.

National Funding Formula

The Department for Education (DfE) is expected to continue to transition towards a National Funding Formula by 2027. The DfE was expected to publish the NFF allocations and supporting documentation in autumn 2025 and Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations in December 2025.

Schools Funding Consultation

In June 2025, the Schools Forum agreed to consult with all schools on several areas to inform decision making, with the consultation closing on 18 September. According to the report pack, 21 schools and 7 academy trusts responded. The consultation covered:

• Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership Safeguarding Training for academies via an SLA.
• Schools Block de-delegated budgets for maintained schools only.
• 2025/26 Central Schools Services Block budgets for all schools.
• Targeted High Needs Fund and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• School improvement activity and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Funding for cluster budgets and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Primary Alternative Provision and associated funding from the Schools Block.
• Secondary Alternative Provision places and funding options.
• Schools Trade Union Facilities Funding.

Schools Block

The level of funding in the Schools Block is not yet calculated using the NFF, and the authority expects to continue to require a growth budget for 2026/27 to fund expansions within schools.

De-Delegated Budgets

Maintained school representatives on Schools Forum are required to agree whether they wish to receive services funded by de-delegating funding to a central budget. Kingston currently utilises three de-delegated service categories:

• Safeguarding Training (£8,235)
• Primary Behaviour Support (£291,900)
• Support Services for Vulnerable Pupils (Underperforming Ethnic Minority Groups) (£142,200)

Maintained schools were consulted on proposed de-delegated budgets for next year, and the Forum was asked to approve the de-delegated budgets for 2026/27.

Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership (KRSCP)

The KRSCP requested that schools consider setting aside funding to support safeguarding training delivered to schools. Academy School Forum members were asked to vote on whether they wish to formally write to all academies to recommend that all academy schools sign up to an SLA with a total estimated value across academy schools of £10,589.

School Block Transfers

Schools were asked to consider re-prioritising funding from the Schools Block for the following borough-wide priorities:

• Targeted High Needs Fund
• School Improvement Activity
• School Cluster Budgets
• Primary Phase Alternative Provision
• Secondary Phase Alternative Provision

Targeted High Needs Fund

Schools were asked to contribute £100,000 towards the Targeted High Needs Fund in 2026/27, following a decision last year by the Forum to start to phase down the value of the fund over time.

School Improvement Activity

Schools were asked to contribute £132,700 towards the borough-wide school improvement activity in 2026/27.

Pilot Cluster Budgets

Kingston schools began a pilot of Cluster Budgets in May 2025. Schools were asked to consider if they would like to approve the continuation of the budget of £124,000 for the pilot for 2026/27.

Primary Phase Alternative Provision

The consultation asked schools whether they were in support of continuing to fund the Education Inclusion Support Service (EISS) with a block transfer in 2026/27 of £104,100.

Secondary Phase Alternative Provision - Malden Oaks

Malden Oaks provides full-time education for secondary-aged students who cannot attend a mainstream school. Schools were asked to consider if a block transfer of £72,600 should be made to maintain 44 secondary alternative provision places.

Central School Service Block

Schools Forum representatives were scheduled to agree the budgets within the Central Schools Services Block each year, and were asked to approve the provisional Central Schools Services budgets for 2026/27.

Schools Trade Union Facilities Funding

The trade unions asked Schools Forum via the local authority to provide funding to support union work in borough schools. Schools were asked to consider whether all schools wish to contribute to a union facilities fund via an SLA, with the total amount proposed at £26,000.

2025/26 Finance Update

The Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation and its application to the Schools Budget in 2025/26, and the projected DSG position for the 2025/26 financial year.

DSG Budget

The table below breaks down the grant allocation, including agreed movement between blocks, by agreed application and between the element that will be administered by the Local Authority and the proportion that will be recouped by the DfE for academies, non-maintained independent special schools and further education colleges.

Current Projected DSG

The Borough is currently projecting spend of £217.441m on DSG funded education services in 2025/26 compared to a grant allocation of £206.980m (including recoupment), representing a current in-year projected overspend of £10.461m, including £1.050m for EHCPs that have not yet been approved but are expected to be approved before the end of the financial year.

The number of EHCPs have increased by a net 87 since 31 March 2025, from 1,985 to 2,072.

Schools Block

The Schools Block is currently projected to be on budget.

Central School Services Block

The Central School Services Block is currently projected to be on budget.

Early Years Block

The Early Years Block is currently projected to underspend by £300k.

High Needs Block

The historic underfunding of high needs education remains a challenge in 2025/26. The position includes projected spend of £45,920,743 against a budget allocation of 35,160,036, representing an overspend of £10,760,707.

SEND Futures Plan

The Forum was scheduled to receive an update on Kingston's performance against the Safety Valve Agreement, and the implementation of Kingston's SEND Futures Plan.

Under the terms of Kingston's Safety Valve Agreement¹, the Council is required to report on performance against conditions in the agreement three times per year. The Department for Education (DfE) is expected to release a SEND White Paper[^3] in Autumn 2025, which will outline reforms to the SEND system and detail how local authorities will be supported in addressing historical and accumulating deficits.

At the end of August 2025, Kingston maintained a total of 2,070 Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, which equates to an 11% increase from the number of plans issued over the past 12 months.

Throughout June and July 2025, the local area conducted a range of engagement activities to gather insights into the strengths and areas for improvement within the borough's SEND provision. The SEND Participation Team for Children and Young People led focus groups in schools and educational establishments, and the SEND Parent Carer Engagement Officers ran both online and in-person sessions for parents and carers.

Progress within the therapies project includes the re-establishment of a task and finish group to review local commissioning arrangements for paediatric therapy services. The SEND Service redesign is currently being implemented as of September 2025, ready for the new school term.

Progress continues to be made on the Kingston Cluster Pilot, an early intervention model for children and young people with emerging needs. Discussions are ongoing with the National Autistic Society (NAS) and The Kingston Academy (TKA) regarding the potential for a new purpose-built SRP at the school. Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (OHCAT) and Latchmere Academy Trust have established a 24 place Dysart satellite provision at Latchmere Primary School which opened on 8 September 2025.

Areas of concern include the Department for Education confirming that the Spring School permanent site will now not be ready into 2027, inflationary requests from independent providers, and decision making for Continuing Healthcare moving from local Place level to an ICB level.