Schools to learn funding allocations following £14 billion pledge

New figures, published today (11 October), will show how much money is being allocated to schools and local authorities in England next year – with every school getting more money for every child.

Every secondary school will be able to receive a minimum of £5,000 per pupil next year, and every primary school will be able to receive a minimum of £4,000 from 2021-22. The biggest increases will go to the schools that need it most.

This follows the Prime Minister’s announcement in August that the budget for schools and high needs would be increased by a total of over £14 billion over three years, rising to £52.2 billion by 2022-23. Schools and local authorities will today find out how Government is allocating the first part of that investment - £2.6 billion - for the coming year.

This new funding includes £780 million in 2020-21 to help children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to reach their potential.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

I promised on my first day in Downing Street to make sure every child has equal opportunities to succeed – regardless of their background or where they live. Because I believe that talent and genius is evenly distributed but so often opportunity is not, and my job is to change this.

We’re already delivering on this promise with schools receiving more than £14 billion additional funding over the next three years, meaning every pupil in every school will get more money, and funding across the country will be levelled up.

Today we are setting out more detail about how schools across the country will benefit next year. This investment will give schools, teachers and parents the certainty to plan, helping further improve standards and ensure our children and young people get a truly world-class education.

Further education measures set out in recent weeks include a drive to create thousands more good free school places nationwide – plus £4.4 billion committed over the next three years to continue to fund additional pension costs for teachers.

The extra money, available from April, will:

• Ensure that per-pupil funding for all schools can rise at least in line with inflation
• Progress the implementation of our National Funding Formula, delivering promised gains in full for areas which have been historically under-funded
• Give schools the certainty they need to plan their budgets

Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson said:

Our schools do a brilliant job and I want parents and teachers to know that we’ve listened to them and are investing in our children’s futures. That’s why this Government has announced the biggest funding boost for schools in a decade which will give every school more money for every child - with the biggest increases going to the schools that need it most.

I recognise the pressures schools have faced and want them and parents to be safe in the knowledge that all children can get the top-quality education they deserve in classrooms across the country. Our continuing investment in education, coupled with a bold reform agenda and the work of Ofsted will supercharge the ongoing rise in school standards.

Schools will also continue to benefit from government support to ensure they can make the most of every pound of their budgets, following the launch of the Department for Education’s School Resource Management Strategy last year.

This ranges from a free-to-use vacancy service to recruit teachers, to expert advisers who provide tailored support to individual schools that need it.

Today’s announcement comes as research in the Teacher Workload Survey shows that teachers’ working hours have fallen by five hours per week over the past three years. The findings, taken from a representative survey of over 7,000 teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders, also show that teaching hours remain broadly stable.

Since 2010, education standards in England have improved significantly. Government reforms have seen more primary school children on track to become fluent readers, more 19-year-olds leaving education with English and Maths GCSEs, and almost one million school places created.