Guidance

Dedicated schools grant: very high deficit intervention

High needs reforms and savings targets have been agreed for local authorities with the highest dedicated school grant deficits.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

These agreements with local authorities set out the high needs reforms and savings targets they must follow to eliminate their historic deficits and function sustainably in future.

We have issued:

  • 4 in the 2023 to 2024 financial year
  • 20 in the 2022 to 2023 financial year
  • 9 in the 2021 to 2022 financial year
  • 5 in the 2020 to 2021 financial year

Guidance about the dedicated schools grant conditions for all local authorities is also available.

High needs funding is funding for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) who need extra support at school or college or in alternative provision settings.

Updates to this page

Published 19 March 2021
Last updated 21 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added 4 new agreements for the 2023 to 2024 financial year. Updated Bury and Kirklees’ agreements as we have reviewed and extended the agreements. Updated Bath and North East Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hillingdon and Norfolk as they are currently under review.

  2. 'Safety valve' agreements for Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Rotherham, Salford, South Gloucestershire, Surrey and York have been updated, following a change in their funding profiles. There has been no change in the total funding connected with any 'safety valve' agreement.

  3. Added dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreements for 2022-2023.

  4. Added safety valve agreements for Dorset, Hillingdon, Kirklees, Merton, Rotherham, Salford, South Gloucestershire, Surrey and York.

  5. First published.

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