Dedicated Schools Grant consultation: Mainstream schools document 2025

Norfolk's Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) consultation takes place at a time of significant challenge and opportunity for the education and inclusion system. Mainstream schools across the county are operating under significant financial pressures, with budgets and resources stretched.  These pressures are not only a local concern, but reflect a national picture, where the sustainability of school funding is under increasing scrutiny.

At the same time as those financial pressures are being seen, there is increasing identification of additional and special educational needs in schools, with a greater proportion of children than ever are being educated outside of mainstream schools.  Again, this is a picture seen both locally and across the country.

This consultation comes at a time of a wider national reform agenda, with the whole sector (and country) awaiting Government announcements about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) reforms and the outcome of the Curriculum and Assessment review.  The Government have indicated that SEN reforms will now be announced this autumn and be encompassed as part of a Schools White Paper.  This is expected to set out a reformed vision for inclusion, accountability and funding.

The delay in their publication continues to create uncertainty for local authorities and schools alike, alongside parents, carers, children and young people. Norfolk, like many areas, is awaiting clarity on the expectations for local delivery, the shape of future funding settlements, and the future of statutory overrides for DSG deficits.

Despite these constraints, there is a strong and visible commitment across Norfolk's education system to work collaboratively to improve outcomes for all children. This includes a shared ambition to transform the experience and provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those requiring Alternative Provision (AP). Norfolk's Area SEND and AP Strategy (NASAPS) with its associated priorities and actions, along with the Local First Inclusion (LFI) transformation programme[1], are key vehicles for delivering this change.

NASAPS is a strategy for Norfolk co-produced with children and young people, Family Voice Norfolk, and professionals across health, education, social care, and the voluntary sector. The priorities are structured around five thematic areas:

• My Learning and Development
• My Changes and New Beginnings
• My Adult Life
• My Family is Supported
• My Friends and Activities

The LFI transformation programme aims to rebalance the system by investing in inclusive practice, expanding specialist provision, and ensuring that funding follows need in a sustainable and transparent way.

In the face of the uncertainty currently faced across the system, Norfolk Local Inclusion Partnership (LIP), which oversees NASAPS and delivery of the strategy, is actively strengthening governance, engaging with children, families, and professionals, and using data to drive improvement.

This consultation is, itself, a key part of this journey—ensuring that schools, settings, and stakeholders have a voice in shaping the future of funding and provision. It also reflects our commitment to transparency, co-production, and evidence-led decision-making.

Whilst the DSG consultation may contain technical questions, it is not, ultimately, just a technical exercise - it is a strategic opportunity to align funding decisions with our collective mission: to ensure that every child in Norfolk, regardless of their needs or background, can flourish in a system that is inclusive, ambitious, and financially sustainable.

[1] Underpinned by Norfolk's Safety Valve agreement with the Department for Education (DfE)