Lewisham's Schools Forum has agreed to transfer £854,000 from the Early Years (EY) block to the High Needs Block (HNB) to address a significant overspend. The decision was made during the forum's meeting on 23 October 2025.
The transfer aims to alleviate the financial strain on the High Needs Block, which is currently facing a £3.0 million overspend, contributing to a cumulative deficit of £18.6 million. The funds were identified following a data validation exercise within the Early Years block, which reduced the block by £0.4m, according to the Public reports pack.
According to the Public reports pack provided to the Schools Forum, the transfer of £854k was approved to support the High Needs Block in 2025/26. Of this amount, £400,000 had previously been allocated to support schools with higher than average Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), effectively returning the funds to schools to support these plans.
The Public reports pack does not specify a long-term plan to address the £18.6 million cumulative deficit in the High Needs Block.