Agenda item - Kirklees' School Funding Arrangements for the Financial Year 2026/2027

To consider approval for funding arrangements for the Dedicated Schools Grant for the financial year 2026/2027.

Contact: John Bartlett, Accountancy / Martin Wilby, Education Places and Access

RESOLVED –

1) That approval be given to the proposed local formula factors for the distribution of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), Schools Block funding for 2026/2027, as set out in Appendix A.

2) That the decisions made by Schools Forum in terms of central budgets, delegated budgets and a fund for significant growth for 2026/27, as detailed in the report and the accompanying appendices, be noted.

3) That approval be given to the submission of the schools’ local funding formula to the Department for Education (DfE) for 2026/2027.

4) That the disapplication request made to the DfE, which has now been agreed, be noted.

5) That the DfE exceptions application be noted.

6) That authority be delegated to the Executive Director (Children’s Services), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Cabinet Member for Education, to take account of the outcomes of the provider consultation, the views of the Early Years and Childcare Reference Group and Schools Forum and make a final decision on the Early Years local funding formula 2026/27 and the value of the Special Education Needs and Disability Inclusion Fund.

Cabinet gave consideration to a report which set out the Kirklees’ School Funding Arrangements for Financial Year 2026/2027.

The report outlined the funding arrangements for Kirklees Council’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for the 2026/2027 financial year, including allocations across the four funding blocks, Schools block, High Needs block, Early Years block and Central Schools and Services block (CSSB). It explained that the schools block per pupil funding rates had increased to £5,849 from £5,548 (2025/2026) for primary and £7,560 from £7,201 (2025/2026 for secondary, and that the Kirklees’ schools block allocation has increased to £412.07 million.

Cabinet noted that the Schools Forum had approved a transfer (disapplication) of £3.6 million to the High Needs block which would continue to support SEND transformation initiatives and that the High Needs block for Kirklees had been allocated £75.1 million for 2026/2027. The report advised that a £3.6 million transfer from the Schools Block would help support a range of investment measures as part of the broader Kirklees SEND transformation plan and align with Kirklees' ongoing Safety Valve intervention programme.

The report advised that (i) the Early Years block has received an allocation for 2026/2027 of £80.3 million (ii) Local consultation on the Early Years Funding Formula and the SEND Inclusion Fund (SENDIF) had taken place between 19 December 2025 and 25 January 2026 (iii) the Central School Services Block (CSSB) for Kirklees had been allocated £57.51 per pupil (up from £43.38 in 2025/2026), totalling £3.7 million and that this increase was due to the inclusion of two grants for Centrally Employed Teachers and Staff, which were received as a separate grant in 2025/26 over and above the DSG allocation and (iv) the increased funding across the DSG between financial year 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 was distorted due to the rolling together of grants in the Schools Block and Central School Services Block, which had previously been separate, and that the High Needs Block, continues to bring challenge.

It was noted that, based upon the DfE funding timeline, it was expected that the Local Authority would inform maintained schools of their 2026/2027 budget shares by 28th February 2026, and that the DfE would inform academies of their budget allocations for the academic year 2026/2027 by the 31st March 2026.