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Guidance

Dedicated schools grant: very high deficit intervention

High needs reforms and savings targets have been agreed for local authorities with the highest dedicated school grant deficits.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
19 March 2021
Last updated:
10 April 2026
Show all updates

  1. Corrected the additional payment made from DfE to Hillingdon in 2022 to 2023 financial year from 11.04 million to 11.40 million.

  2. Updated as programme has been closed and replaced with the high needs stability grant.

  3. Added 4 new agreements for the 2023 to 2024 financial year. Updated Bury and Kirklees’ agreements as we have reviewed and extended the agreements. Updated Bath and North East Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hillingdon and Norfolk as they are currently under review.

  4. 'Safety valve' agreements for Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Rotherham, Salford, South Gloucestershire, Surrey and York have been updated, following a change in their funding profiles. There has been no change in the total funding connected with any 'safety valve' agreement.

  5. Added dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreements for 2022-2023.

  6. Added safety valve agreements for Dorset, Hillingdon, Kirklees, Merton, Rotherham, Salford, South Gloucestershire, Surrey and York.

  7. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Bracknell Forest: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2023-2024

PDF, 161 KB, 3 pages

Bristol: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2023-2024

PDF, 183 KB, 4 pages

Devon: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2023-2024

PDF, 178 KB, 4 pages

Wiltshire: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2023-2024

PDF, 170 KB, 3 pages

Barnsley: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 231 KB, 5 pages

Bath and North East Somerset: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 189 KB, 4 pages

Bexley: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 399 KB, 5 pages

Blackpool: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 241 KB, 5 pages

Bolton: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 222 KB, 5 pages

Cambridgeshire: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 187 KB, 4 pages

Croydon: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 312 KB, 4 pages

Darlington: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 336 KB, 4 pages

Haringey: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 276 KB, 4 pages

Hounslow: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 239 KB, 5 pages

Isle of Wight: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 239 KB, 5 pages

Kent: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 241 KB, 5 pages

Medway: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 288 KB, 5 pages

Norfolk: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 196 KB, 4 pages

North Somerset: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 249 KB, 5 pages

North Tyneside: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 258 KB, 5 pages

Slough: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 227 KB, 4 pages

Southwark: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 287 KB, 5 pages

Torbay: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 266 KB, 4 pages

Wokingham: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2022-2023

PDF, 289 KB, 5 pages

Dorset: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 173 KB, 4 pages

Hillingdon: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 324 KB, 4 pages

Kirklees: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 192 KB, 4 pages

Merton: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 183 KB, 6 pages

Rotherham: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 134 KB, 5 pages

Salford: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 132 KB, 5 pages

South Gloucestershire: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 130 KB, 5 pages

Surrey: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 191 KB, 5 pages

York: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2021-2022

PDF, 137 KB, 5 pages

Bury: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2020-2021

PDF, 169 KB, 4 pages

Hammersmith and Fulham: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2020-2021

PDF, 143 KB, 4 pages

Kingston upon Thames: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2020-2021

PDF, 178 KB, 4 pages

Richmond upon Thames: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2020-2021

PDF, 164 KB, 4 pages

Stoke on Trent: dedicated schools grant ‘safety valve’ agreement 2020-2021

PDF, 198 KB, 3 pages

Details

The safety valve programme closed on 1 April 2026 and local authorities are no longer being held to these agreements. It has been replaced by the high needs stability grant.

These agreements with local authorities set out the high needs reforms and savings targets they must follow to eliminate their historic deficits and function sustainably in future.

We have issued:

  • 4 in the 2023 to 2024 financial year
  • 20 in the 2022 to 2023 financial year
  • 9 in the 2021 to 2022 financial year
  • 5 in the 2020 to 2021 financial year

Guidance about the dedicated schools grant conditions for all local authorities is also available.

High needs funding is funding for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) who need extra support at school or college or in alternative provision settings.

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