Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) consultation
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Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Consultation 2026-27
The annual Dedicated Schools Grant consultation will run 3-24 October 2025, and we welcome as many contributions to the consultation as possible, from a wide range of education stakeholders. This page includes a series of online resources to provide an overview and broader context of the Dedicated Schools Grant, the National Funding Formula and other aspects of schools funding.
Please note: The principles of this consultation are based on existing DSG funding arrangements for 2025-26, and are subject to change following the DfE's confirmation of detailed 2026-27 DSG arrangements later in the autumn term.
The annual consultation normally follows after the Department for Education (DfE) provides the provisional DSG allocations, allowing technical papers to be prepared to illustrate the potential impact of proposals under consultation and providing schools and academies with an indication of their following year's funding to support future planning. Unfortunately, the publication of this provisional information has been delayed by the DfE, and so this approach is not possible. However the consultation still needs to take place on the same timeline to allow the necessary decisions to be taken to confirm schools funding on the normal timescales.
Where possible, technical papers to illustrate potential impact will be provided using current funding levels, and 'normal' technical papers (those normally expected at this time) will be distributed with provisional 2026-27 funding information as soon as possible following DfE publication.
For more information on this grant, see The Dedicated Schools Grant
Proposed mainstream changes
The focus of the mainstream schools' consultation is centred upon technical funding allocations this year and understanding potential impact.
The period for the consultation will be between 3 October 2025 and 24 October 2025. This consultation has 11 sections for all schools, including national funding formula, notional SEN allocations, and high needs funding arrangements for medical needs alternative provision, and one section and one appendix for maintained schools only.
Schools are asked to read the proposals in the consultation document and then complete the related online survey to provide their feedback to the consultation. We hope that this will ensure that as many views are gathered as possible.
To view the consultation documents, click on the heading links below:
- Introduction
- Strategic context
- Approach to mainstream consultation
- Summary of areas for consultation
- DfE funding announcements awaited
- Dedicated Schools Grant overview
- National Funding Formula (NFF)
- Schools Block to High Needs Block funding transfer
- Notional SEN allocations
- Minimum Funding Guarantee levels
- High Needs Funding arrangements for medical needs alternative provision
- Scheme for financing schools changes (maintained schools only)
- Appendix A: Proposed changes to wording of the Scheme for Financing Schools (maintained schools only)
- Minimum Funding Guarantee technical paper (v2) (Excel doc, 107 KB)*
- Notional SEN technical paper (v2) (Excel doc, 109 KB)*
- Frequently Asked Questions - NEW (added 21/10/2025)
*The amended v2 copies of the two technical papers each have an Academy Trust column added for filtering purposes only; there are no other changes.
After reading and discussing the consultation document as appropriate, we would encourage each learning provider to appoint a single individual to respond on behalf of their school, from Friday 3 October 2025:
The Mainstream Consultation survey
If you have a specific question regarding the proposals in the document, please email [email protected].
Proposed Early Years changes
Early Years funding is distributed to local authorities based on an Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) that consider various factors including pupil numbers and characteristics.
The Early Years consultation focuses on increasing 2-year-old take up, particularly for children from families receiving additional support (FRAS).
Settings are asked to read the proposals in the consultation document and then complete the related online survey to provide their feedback to the consultation. We hope that this will ensure that as many views are gathered as possible.
After reading and discussing the information in the consultation document as appropriate, we would encourage each setting to appoint an individual to respond on behalf of the setting, from Friday 3 October 2025:
The Early Years Consultation survey
Briefing and engagement sessions
During the consultation period, we are offering online briefing and engagement sessions intended to support you to understand the contents of the consultation, the scale of change happening in Norfolk and how you can be a part of it, and to be able to respond effectively to the consultation.
Mainstream consultation
To ensure you have the opportunity to ask any questions relating to the technical aspects of funding allocation in the Dedicated Schools Grant proposals, there are three briefing and engagements sessions available this year:
- 08 October 2025 , 2:00-4:00pm: In person at County Hall, Norwich (click on the link to RSVP)
- 09 October 2025, 3:45pm-5:45pm: Online via Teams (click on the link to join) - this meeting will be recorded and shared after the event
- 22 October 2025, 3:45pm-5:45pm: Online via Teams (click on the link to join)
These dates along with meeting links can also be found on the Key Events calendar here.
This is an important opportunity for us to come together as a system to design the right models for Norfolk children and young people, and we would encourage you all to participate in the consultation.
Early Years consultation
Dates and times for the Early Years (EY) consultation briefing and engagement sessions, along with a booking link for each, are:
- Tuesday 14 October, 7:00-8:00pm, MS-Teams meeting: Book on the Portal using course code P153
- Wednesday 15 October, 10:00-11:00am, MS-Teams meeting: Book on the Portal using course code P154
We will also cover the EY consultation as part of the mainstream schools briefing and engagement sessions for those settings that are part of a school, to mitigate the need for schools to attend more than one session. However, the primary focus of those sessions will be mainstream school funding and so Early Years only providers may prefer to attend the EY consultation sessions.
These mainstream and Early Years events are all listed on the Schools, Colleges and Settings Key Events Calendar on the Norfolk Schools and Learning Providers website.
As the consultation period goes on, we will publish responses to questions that arise during any of the consultation events alongside the consultation materials that we have published on this page.
