The Leicestershire Schools' Forum meeting scheduled for Monday 23 February 2026 was set to discuss the 2026-27 school budget, including the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement and the proposed allocation of funds across various blocks. A key item on the agenda was the de-delegation of funds for school improvement for maintained schools, alongside a review of the operational framework of the Schools' Forum itself.

School Forum in Operation

The meeting was scheduled to consider the operational framework of the Schools' Forum. This would involve a review of how the forum functions and its role within the Leicestershire education system.

2026-27 School Budget

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the 2026-27 school budget. This included a detailed presentation of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement for Leicestershire. The report outlined the proposed allocation of the DSG across its four main blocks: Schools, Central School Services, High Needs, and Early Years.

• Schools Block: This block funds delegated budgets for maintained schools and academies, as well as growth funding for new and expanding schools. The report detailed the estimated allocation of £583.9m, reflecting changes in pupil numbers and the incorporation of previous grants into the National Funding Formula (NFF). The NFF, which applies nationally, determines funding rates based on pupil characteristics. The report highlighted that Leicestershire fully mirrors the NFF, with adjustments made for affordability through capping and scaling factors. The document also noted the ongoing challenge of a deficit in the High Needs Block, which is projected to continue to grow.
• Central School Services Block: This block covers historic financial commitments and statutory duties of the local authority, with an estimated allocation of £4.81m. This includes funding for services such as the servicing of the Schools' Forum, admissions, and asset management.
• High Needs Block: This block funds provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN), services for excluded pupils, and specialist teaching services. The provisional allocation for 2026/27 was estimated at £124.1m. The report highlighted significant financial pressures within this block, with a projected cumulative deficit of £111.9m by the end of 2025/26. Strategies to mitigate this deficit, including early intervention and mainstream inclusion, were outlined. The report also discussed the development of a Belonging in Education strategy, co-produced with system partners, to foster a sense of acceptance and support for children and young people with SEND.
• Early Years Block: This block funds the free entitlement to early education for 2, 3, and 4-year-olds, with an estimated allocation of £128.6m. The report detailed the entitlement hours and the funding rates per hour for different age groups. Local authorities are required to pass through 97% of this settlement to providers.

The report also addressed the funding for school growth, with a confirmed grant of £1.8m for the initial revenue costs of commissioning additional primary and secondary school places. Furthermore, the report detailed the proposed Children and Family Services capital programme, focusing on the delivery of additional school places and improvements for children with SEND.

De-Delegation - School Improvement

The meeting was scheduled to consider a proposal for the de-delegation of £18 per pupil from the budget shares of maintained schools to fund local authority-led school improvement functions for the financial year 2026-27. This proposal required approval from maintained school representatives on the Schools' Forum. The report detailed the services that these funds would support, including strategic monitoring, brokerage of school-to-school support, independent health-checks and audits, professional learning, and support for Ofsted inspections. Consultation outcomes with maintained schools indicated strong support for the proposal, with 83.8% of respondents in favour. The report also outlined recommendations for the treatment of unspent de-delegated funds and any deficits arising from these funds.

Minutes of the Meeting Held on 6 November 2025

The forum was also scheduled to review and agree the minutes from the previous meeting held on 6 November 2025. This would include a discussion of any matters arising from those minutes. A key topic from the previous meeting that was likely to be discussed was the proposal to extend the SEN Investment Fund for 2026-27, which involved consultation feedback and two options for sustainable funding of Oakfield outreach.

The meeting was scheduled to conclude with the confirmation of the date for the next meeting.