Spring statement

The government has announced a cash uplift of over £4.7 billion a year in the core schools budget by the end of the spending review.

Funding for the recently announced extension of free school meals has already been included in the £4.7 billion, so has money allocated earlier to contribute to next year’s 4 per cent teacher pay rise.

it is therefore expected that the core schools budget will actually grow by an average of 0.9 per cent per pupil in real terms each year.

Treasury documents indicate that the government will spend around £2.4 billion a year for the next four years on extending the existing school rebuilding programme and £2.3 billion a year by 2029-30 on improving the condition of the school estate, however this rise is likely to be in line with inflation.

£370 million was announced for school-based nurseries, £130 million for facilities for young people to participate in music, sport and drama and for libraries in schools. Ofsted also received a £20 million funding boost to help staff inspections under its new report card plans.

Emma Balchin, chief executive of the National Governance Association, said the sector’s “collective voice has been heard, and at least some progress will be made to rectifying previous injustices of seeing school funding fall in real terms over many years.

“NGA is genuinely delighted that in an era where every pound is scrutinised and competing demands are fierce, education has been recognised as the priority it should always be.”

However, she said it was a “vital first step, not the finish line”. 

“While today brings much-needed breathing space and the precious gift of certainty for planning ahead, school boards will still face tough choices. The financial pressures that have built up over years won’t disappear overnight.”