School funds secured in Spending Review

The Chancellor's Spending Review has confirmed that school funding in England will increase by £2.2bn next year, and also unveiled a ten-year programme to rebuild 500 schools.

The announcement maintains the three-year commitment made in 2019 to increase core school budgets by £7.1bn by 2022-23.

This should mean that secondary school funding will be at least £5,150 per pupil and at primary at least £4,000 per pupil. 

Rishi Sunak's other key announcements for schools included the following: 

• £220m funding for the Holiday Activities and Food programme to provide enriching activities and a healthy meal for disadvantaged children in the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays in 2021
• £300m for places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. 
• Confirmation of the £1bn catch-up package, including £350m for National Tutoring Programme 
• £22m to improve teacher quality, including for Early Career Framework mentor time.
• 10-year programme to rebuild 500 schools, with 50 projects in 2021. 

The Spending Review also factored in a pause in pay rises for public sector workers earning over £24,000, although the Treasury has indicated that it still wants to increase starting salaries of teachers to £30,000 - but the deadline for this appears uncertain.

If you would like to discuss the impact of the Spending Review on your school, please contact a member of our Education team.