Minister for Early Education (): I am today announcing over
£1 billion of new capital investment to support local authorities
to create mainstream school places needed by September 2028. I am
also confirming details of the £740 million of capital funding
for the 2025-26 financial year to support the creation of school
places for children and young people with Special Educational
Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or who require Alternative
Provision (AP), and details of £2.1 billion in capital funding
for the 2025-26 financial year to improve the condition of the
school and sixth-form college estate in England.
High and rising school standards for all children is at the heart
of this government's mission to break down barriers to
opportunity and improve children's outcomes through our Plan for
Change. Ensuring that there are sufficient high quality school
places in well-maintained buildings is a critical part of driving
forward this agenda.
Funding for mainstream school places
Today's funding announcement will support local authorities to
meet their statutory duty and create school places needed by
September 2028.
This funding, £640 million of which will be allocated in the
2026-27 financial year, with a further £400 million allocated in
2027-28, is on top of almost £1.5 billion of basic need capital
funding that has previously been announced to create new school
places needed between 2024 and September 2026.
Funding for SEND and AP places
I am also confirming the details of the previously announced £740
million to support children and young people with SEND or who
require AP.
This funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more
accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist
facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more
intensive support adapted to suit the pupils' needs, and to
create special school places for pupils with the most complex
needs.
Condition funding
We have increased funding to improve the condition of the estate
for financial year 2025-26 to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion
committed for financial year 2024-25. This is in addition to our
continued investment in the School Rebuilding Programme and
targeted support for schools with RAAC.
The funding for financial year 2025-26 includes almost £1.4
billion in School Condition Allocations for eligible responsible
bodies, including local authorities, large multi-academy trusts
and large voluntary aided school bodies, such as dioceses, to
decide how to invest across their schools. Allocations are partly
informed by updated data on the relative condition of schools. It
also includes almost £470 million available through the Condition
Improvement Fund, an annual bidding round for essential
maintenance projects at schools in small and stand-alone academy
trusts, small voluntary-aided bodies and sixth form colleges.
Successful applications to the fund will be announced later in
the spring. Almost £220 million in Devolved Formula Capital (DFC)
will be allocated directly for schools to spend on their own
capital priorities.
Full details of this announcement, including the allocations for
basic need, high needs, and condition funding, have been
published on the Department for Education section on the GOV.UK
website here:
