Schools Forum

The Council consults the Forum on the following areas:

• Limits on central expenditure in the schools budget
• Combined budgets
• School specific contingencies
• Minimum funding guarantee
• The Council's proposed school funding formula
• Issues within the schools budget, such as arrangements for pupils with special educational needs or early years education
• Service contracts

Members of the public wishing to attend Schools Forum meetings should contact the Schools Forum Clerk:

• Email: school.relationshipteam@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
• Telephone: 07889 049428​​​​​​​

There are currently 32 elected members.

Schools members

• Primary School Headteachers (five)
• Primary Governors (four)
• Secondary Headteachers (one)
• Secondary Governors (two)
• Special School Headteacher (one)
• Special School Governor (one)
• Pupil Referral Units Executive Headteacher (one)

Academy members (including free schools)

• Primary/Secondary (eight)
• Special (one)

Non schools members

• Diocesan Authorities (two)
• Private, Voluntary and Independent Sector (two)
• Trade Unions (two)
• 16-19 Providers (one)
• Chair of Primary Association of Headteachers (one)

Schools Forum members have a four year term of office and the Chair is elected every two years.   The Education and Children Portfolio Holder of the Council and a representative from the Education Funding Agency can attend as a non-voting observer. Senior Council staff act as advisors to the Forum.​​

Cheshire West and Chester Schools Forum consultation with schools and academies on funding arrangements for 2025-26 financial year

In consideration of funding arrangements for schools for the new financial year, Schools Forum representatives will be required to approve a number of items at the January Schools Forum meeting.

To inform those decisions, Schools Forum are seeking views on those decisions from schools and academies in the borough.

These decisions are:

A. To confirm the continuation of the current year transfer of 0.5% of Schools Block funding to support the continuing pressures on high needs budgets.
B. To confirm de-delegation arrangements for primary and secondary maintained schools only
C. To confirm de-delegation from all maintained schools for school improvement activities

Further information on these decisions is set out in the Schools Forum consultation on funding arrangements 2025-26 document below.

Schools Forum will consider the views of schools and academies submitted through a smart survey at the following link

In accordance with the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998, the Local Authority maintains a Scheme for Financing Schools which sets out the financial relationship between the Local Authority and the schools which it maintains.

It contains requirements relating to financial management and associated issues which are binding on both the Local Authority and on schools.

The document is published on this page and was last updated in July 2025 to reflect the latest directed revisions issued by the Secretary of State and changes approved by the Schools Forum.​​​