Private school fees in minister’s funding claims
The figures quoted by Education Ministers defending their record on state school spending also included the money spent by parents on private school fees.
This has been confirmed by the OECD think tank that compiles the international comparisons of spending figures.
Head Teachers’ leaders say the Department for Education is “disrespecting” schools and teachers by this “extraordinary” use of statistics.
The Department for Education accepts that the spending claim is not limited to public spending on schools – but it stands by its use of the figure as “accurate”.
But the Heads warned that the department has “serious questions to answer” over its “veracity”.
This follows the discovery earlier this week that the spending claims quoted by the Department for Education were also counting the tuition fees being paid by university students.
Read the full article on the BBC.