Kingston upon Thames' Schools Forum is set to vote on the future funding of Malden Oaks, a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) that provides education for secondary students unable to attend mainstream schools. As an alternative provision, Malden Oaks' funding differs from mainstream schools, as it does not automatically access formula-driven funding through the schools block. Funding is based on the core AP offer rather than the expanded SEND offer.

The Schools Forum includes Councillors, School Governors (Primary Schools), Head Teachers (Primary Schools), a Head or School Governor (Secondary School), representatives from Academies, Pupil Referral Units, a Local Authority 16-19 Partnership, and Private, Voluntary and Independent Providers (PVI).

The vote on Monday 15 December 2025 will decide how to address the school's significant financial pressures. Malden Oaks is experiencing these pressures because they do not receive the same grant funding as mainstream schools to cover staff pay awards, pension increases, and national insurance increases. Additionally, they operate across multiple sites. As an alternative provision, they do not automatically access formula-driven funding through the schools block.

The Schools Forum will consider three options for funding the 2026/27 budget, detailed in the Public Reports Pack:

  • Option 1: Retain all 45 full-time equivalent (FTE) places, with 24 funded by the High Needs Block (HNB) at a budget of £688,300 and 21 funded by a transfer from the Schools Block (SB) at a cost of £571,700.
  • Option 2: Reduce the number of places to 35 FTE, with 24 places covered by the HNB (£688,300) and 11 covered by a £292,800 transfer from the Schools Block.
  • Option 3: Reduce the number of places to 24 FTE, with all places funded by the HNB at a budget of £688,300.

Currently, the council commissions 45 FTE places at Malden Oaks at a cost of £16,500 per place, funded from the High Needs Block (HNB). The HNB is the funding local authorities receive to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The schools block is one of four blocks of funding that make up the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which is the main source of funding for local authorities' education services. Malden Oaks estimates the per-place charge will need to increase to £28,000 to cover costs.

According to the Public Reports Pack, Achieving for Children (AfC) have received assurance from Malden Oaks that costs are being kept as low as possible. An independent review by the Department for Education (DfE) has been commissioned to provide external scrutiny and recommendations. The results of the review are expected in the coming weeks.

The Agenda for the meeting also includes introductions and apologies, declarations of interest, confirmation of the minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2025, and the date of the next meeting.

The Schools Forum is asked to discuss the options and vote for which funding model they would support moving forwards.