Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet has approved the allocation of the 2026/27 Dedicated Schools Grant.
Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet has approved the allocation of the 2026/27 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), confirming how more than £752 million of government funding will be distributed to support schools, early years providers and children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the county.
The DSG is a ringfenced grant from government that funds education provision through four main blocks: Schools, Early Years, High Needs, and Central School Services. Cabinet’s decision follows consultation with the Warwickshire Schools Forum and Early Years Working Group.
For 2026/27, Warwickshire will receive a provisional DSG allocation of £752.076 million, an increase of £49.861 million (7.1%) compared to 2025/26. Despite this increase, Warwickshire remains one of the lowest-funded local authorities nationally for both mainstream schools and high needs funding.
Key decisions approved by Cabinet include:
- Allocation of £522.6 million through the Schools Block to primary and secondary schools and academies.
- Allocation of £114.2 million to Early Years providers, reflecting the full rollout of expanded childcare entitlements.
- Allocation of £110.5 million to the High Needs Block to support children and young people with SEND.
- Support for proposals to allocate £4.8 million through the Central School Services Block.
Cabinet also approved setting the Minimum Funding Guarantee at 0%, ensuring that no school’s per-pupil funding will fall below its 2025/26 level.
Cllr Wayne Briggs, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Education, said:
“This funding supports education at every stage, from early years through to young people with complex special educational needs. While we welcome the increase in funding for 2026/27, Warwickshire remains one of the lowest-funded authorities in the country, particularly for high needs provision.
“We will continue to work closely with schools, early years providers and partners to ensure funding is distributed as fairly and transparently as possible. At the same time, Warwickshire County Council is fully backing the national f40 campaign, pressing government for a long-term solution to the underfunding of SEND and for fairer funding for all schools.”
Cllr Stephen Shaw, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, said:
“The Dedicated Schools Grant plays a critical role in supporting children and young people across Warwickshire, but it also presents one of the most significant financial challenges facing councils nationally.
“We will continue to use the government’s statutory override to protect the Council’s wider finances while we await clarity on how historic high needs deficits will be addressed. Alongside other councils, and as part of our support for the national f40 campaign, we are actively lobbying for urgent and sustainable reform to ensure local authorities can continue to support vulnerable children without risking long-term financial instability.”
Final allocations will be confirmed and incorporated into the Council’s 2026/27 budget, which will be presented to full Council for approval on 5 February 2026.
A copy of this Cabinet report can be found here: January 2026 Cabinet - Dedicated Schools Grant for 2026/27
Find out more about: f40 - Warwickshire County Council's support for the national campaign for fairer funding and major reform to SEND provision.
For more information about f40 and to explore funding comparisons across England, visit: www.f40.org.uk