Oxfordshire Schools' Forum

About the Schools' Forum

The government requires every local authority to set up a schools' forum.

Its purpose is to provide strategic direction for the funding of schools in the local authority and support services in relation to new school funding arrangements covering:

• the Dedicated Schools' Grant (DSG)
• the Schools' Budget (centrally retained and Individual School Budget)
• wider issues such as service contracts and service level agreements.

The following regulations govern the composition, constitution and procedures of the schools' forum:

• Section 47A of The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (as amended) requires every local authority to establish a schools' forum.
• The Schools Forums (England) Regulations 2012 No 2261 (pdf format, 72Kb) govern the composition, constitution and procedures of the schools' forum.

Constitution

The forum is required to operate in accordance with a formal constitution:

• Constitution and Terms of Reference (pdf format, 42Kb)
• Schools' Forum membership list (pdf format, 41Kb)

Further information and guidance

• Responsibilities of the schools' forum (pdf format, 223Kb)
• Schools Forums: Operational and Good Practice Guide for Local Authorities and Members of Schools Forums (pdf format, 325Kb)
• Schools forums structures (pdf format, 183Kb)
• Template for Schools Forum papers (pdf format, 126Kb)
• Protocol for papers to Schools Forum (pdf format, 90Kb)

The Oxfordshire Schools Forum has two committees and one working group affiliated to it:

• Schools and High Needs Committee
• Services and Contracts Committee

The minutes of these committees/working groups can be found with the papers for Schools Forum meetings.

Meetings

Calendar of forum meetings

The Oxfordshire Schools Forum meets five times a year and recent non-confidential papers for meetings that have taken place can be downloaded below.

29 September 2026

• 29 September 2026 - Agenda (pdf format, 122 KB)
• 23 June 2026 - Minutes (pdf format, 295 KB)
• 03. DSG Early Years block update (pdf format, 183KB)
• 04  Budget setting (pdf format, 183 KB)
• 06. Schools Budget Dates 2027-28 (pdf format, 134KB)
• 07. General Sisapplication Requents 2027-28 Exceptional Rents (pdf format, 134 KB)
• 10. Schools Forum Membership 2026-27 (pdf format, 134KB)

23 June 2026

• 23 June 2026 -Agenda (pdf format, 295 KB)
• 12 Feb 2026 - Minutes (pdf format, 260 KB) 
• 03 High Needs and SEND reform plan update (pptx format, 623 KB)
• 04 Schools Forum Budget 2025-26 Outturn and 2027-28 Budget Setting (pdf format, 204 KB)
• 05 Maintained School Balances as at March 2026 (pdf format, 225 KB)
• 06 SEND Reform Plan and Project Cluster Proposal (pdf format, 951KB)

12 February 2026

• 12 February 2026 - Minutes (pdf format, 260 KB)
• SF-01-2026 02 12-Agenda (pdf format, 190 KB)
• SF-02-2026-01-19-Minutes (pdf format, 315 KB)
• SF-03-Paper 3 DSG High Needs Budget 2026-27 (pdf format, 219 KB)
• SF-04-Paper 4 Special Schools Funding for 2026-27 (pdf format, 194KB)
• SF-05a-Paper 5  EarlyYears Funding Formula annex1 Survey Responses Report (pdf format, 166 KB)
• SF-05b-Paper5 Early Years Funding Formula 2026-27 (pdf format, 398 KB)
• SF-06-Buyback Paper-January 2026 (docx format, 64 KB)

19 January 2026

• 1 Schools Forum - Agenda 19/1/2026 (pdf format, 180KB)
• 2 Schools Forum - Minutes 3/12/2025 (pdf format, 200KB)
• 4 DSG 2026-27 (pdf format, 368KB)
• 5 Central School Services Block 2026-27 (pdf format, 200KB)
• 6a De-delegated Union duties 26-27 (pdf format, 258KB)
• 6b Annexe A - Agreed facilities letter June 23 (pdf format, 200KB)
• 8 Block Transfer request (pdf format, 739KB)
• 9a APT Report - Schools Funding Formula 26-27 (pdf format, 268KB)
• 9b APT paper Annexe 3 (pdf format, 300KB)
• 9c APT paper Annexe 4 (pdf format, 300KB)
• 9d Schools funding formula survey Annexe 5 (pdf format, 60KB)
• 12 Oxfordshire Schools Forum Membership (January 2026) (pdf format, 200KB)

Previous meetings

If you would like copies of papers from earlier meetings contact the Schools' Forum.