At Spending Round 2019, the government committed to a £7.1
billion cash increase in funding for schools in England by
2022-23, compared to 2019-20 budgets. This funding settlement
included an increase to minimum per-pupil funding levels, a
commitment now enshrined in law.28
The minimum per pupil amount will increase to £3,750 for primary
schools and £5,000 for secondary schools in 2020-21, with the
primary schools minimum then rising to £4,000 in 2021-22.29 The
settlement also provides for £780 million extra in 2020-21 to
support children and young people with special educational needs,
to ensure all can reach their potential.
On average, schools will see an increase of over 4% in funding
per pupil compared to 2019‑20 budgets.30 The
three-year settlement will also allow the government to raise
starting salaries for teachers to £30,000 by September
2022.
This funding settlement reflects the government’s commitment to
high quality education for all school children. The Budget
sets out new steps the government is taking to support children
to have the opportunity of an active and enriching school
experience.
To ensure that children get an active start in life, the
government will bring forward an updated School Sport and
Activity Action Plan following the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Ahead of that, the Budget provides £29 million a year by 2023-24
to support primary school PE teaching and help schools make best
use of their sports facilities. The funding will support high
quality teacher training and professional development for PE,
informed by best practice PE teaching.
The government also believes in the benefits of participating in
the arts and the essential role it plays in all children’s
education. The Budget provides £90 million a year to introduce an
Arts Premium from September 2021, averaging out as an extra
£25,000 a year per secondary school for three years.31 The
funding will help schools to provide high quality arts programmes
and extracurricular activities for pupils, including those
delivered in partnership with arts organisations, as well as
supporting teachers to deliver engaging and creative lessons in
the arts.
