Decision details

In 2025/26, as in previous years, West Sussex County Council is responsible for deciding local funding formulae for mainstream schools in its area. The funding levels that schools – both Local Authority (LA) maintained schools and academies – receive will be determined by the county’s local formula.

The County Council is required, under national funding regulations, to consult schools and the Schools Forum on proposed changes to funding arrangements affecting school budgets, when setting its local formula each year.

Since the county’s local funding formula now uses the full National Funding Formula values, no consultation document was sent out to mainstream schools for 2025/26, although Schools Forum were still consulted.

Feedback from Schools Forum has been taken into account in the development of the local funding formula for mainstream schools in 2025/26. Approval is now sought to progress the proposed changes to the funding arrangements.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Learning and Skills has agreed the approach to the 2025/26 local funding formula for mainstream schools as set out in section two of the report and has approved the proposals in paragraphs 2.39 to 2.42 to:

(1) Adopt the National Funding Formula rates in full,

(2) Set the Minimum Funding Guarantee level at 0% (the maximum level allowed),

(3) Set the Notional Special Educational Needs budget at £89.8m, and

(4) Set the county’s growth fund budget at £1.870m.

None declared.