Schools forum
The schools forum acts as a consultative body on some issues and a decision-making body on others. Find out who is on the schools forum and upcoming meetings dates.
About the schools forum
The schools forum is made up of representatives from:
- schools and academies
- non-school organisations such as nursery and 16-19 education providers.
The forum listens to:
- changes to the local funding formula (the local authority makes the final decision)
- proposed changes to the operation of the minimum funding guarantee
- changes to or new contracts affecting schools, such as school meals
- arrangements for pupils with special educational needs, in pupil referral units and in early years provision
The forum decides:
- how much funding may be retained by the local authority within the dedicated schools grant (for example, for providing an admissions service)
- any proposed carry forward of deficits on central spend from one year to the next
- proposals to de-delegate funding from maintained primary and secondary schools (for example, for staff supply cover, insurance, behaviour support)
- changes to the scheme of financial management.
Schools representation
The forum includes representatives from:
- maintained nursery schools
- maintained primary schools
- maintained secondary schools
- maintained special schools
- maintained pupil referral units
- mainstream academies (including free schools)
- special academies (including free schools)
- alternative provision academies (including free schools)
- post-16 education providers.
The number of representatives from each type of school should reflect how many pupils they represent.
Schools forum meetings
Schools forum meeting dates for the academic year 2025/26 are:
- Thursday 13 November 2025, 4pm to 6pm
- Thursday 22 January 2026,4pm to 6pm
- Thursday 21 May 2026, 4pm to 6pm
- Thursday 16 July 2026, 4pm to 6pm
Documents and reports
We regularly publish all documents and reports from schools forum meetings, available for up to two years.
Schools forum vacancies
Secondary academy senior leadership representatives
There are currently two vacancies for secondary academy senior leadership representatives. The local authority has asked the secondary academies to let us know who will be taking up those two positions.
Maintained primary governor representative
There is one vacancy for a maintained primary school governor representative. Maintained schools are community schools or voluntary-aided (church) schools, and not academies or free schools.
A letter has been emailed to chairs of governors to share with their governors inviting them to submit nominations to join the forum by Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 5pm.
Governors from schools and federations already represented on the forum cannot apply. Refer to the letter or contact the Clerk to the Forum for more information by emailing jane.wright@islington.gov.uk. If there are more applications than vacancies, there will be an election.
Email jane.wright@islington.gov.uk or governor.services@islington.gov.uk.