Thank you to everyone who has contacted me with concerns about funding for schools.
I know schools work incredibly hard to deliver in their communities, and I commend the work of all school staff. Ensuring that schools have the resources they need is key to this Government’s mission for all children to succeed, regardless of their background.
I am pleased that overall school funding has increased by over £3.2 billion this year, totaling over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion last year. In the Spending Review, it was announced that funding will continue to increase over the Spending Review period, meaning core school funding will total £65.9 billion by 2028/29. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on the core schools budget.
School buildings are integral to ensuring high standards, and they must be fit for the future. I welcome the announcement of almost £20 billion of investment for the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35. This programme is delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England, and a further 250 schools will be selected within the next two years. Additionally, at the Spending Review, £31 billion of capital funding was announced for the education estate from 2026/27 to 2029/30.
I believe making mainstream schools more inclusive is essential, particularly since most children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) attend these schools. I support the Government’s £740 million investment to create 10,000 new school places for children with SEND, which will be used to deliver adaptations to mainstream schools. Currently, fewer than one in ten mainstream schools have specialist support facilities for students with SEND. This funding will transform mainstream environments to better support all pupils. It is estimated that at least 15,000 more children and young people could have their needs met through specialist provision in mainstream schools as part of an improved SEND system.
I also welcome the Department for Education’s full acceptance of the independent STRB recommendations for 2025/26, implementing a 4% pay award for schoolteachers and leaders since September. This means schoolteachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% since this Government took office, and over 22% over the last four years. The average teacher can now expect a salary of over £51,000, helping to retain talented teachers and deliver high standards for children.
Thank you once again to everyone who got in touch about this important issue.