Last week’s funding announcement may have come as a surprise to many, signalling a three year investment in education ahead of the spending review.
The funding package for 5-16 schools includes an extra:
£2.6 billion for 2020/21
£4.8 billion for 21/22
£7.1 billion for 22/23
This will bring the schools budget to £52.2bn in 22/23. And means that it will bring all secondary schools up to a minimum funding level of £5,000 per pupil next year, with every primary school at a minimum funding level of £4,000 from 2021/22.
The deal includes £700 million extra for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in 2020/21.
Initial concerns were that schools currently making cuts will not see any increases until April next year, and for the first year, the amount promised comes well below the amount required to reverse the 8% real terms decrease in funding from 2009.
Moreover, there have been questions around how the government can commit to a three year plan in the midst of Brexit negotiations and calls for a General Election.
Since the announcements, more work has been done to explore what the amounts mean, with the EPI illustrating how the distribution of funding will mean that already disadvantaged schools are likely to lose out, as they are less likely to receive a share of the funding in the first instance and more likely to feel the impact of the salary increases for new teachers.
The EPI’s analysis of this funding method shows that ‘the north east would receive the lowest additional funding’.
There are further questions from schools around how the funding will be rolled out, especially to academies and alternative provision which are yet to be answered. Schools North East will continue to monitor the impact of this announcement on the region’s schools.
If you would like to let us know how the funding announcement will affect your school, you can submit your thoughts to policy@schoolsnortheast.com.