Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has held with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the schools' wage costs.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education routinely discusses matters of shared interest with Cabinet colleagues, including my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Department will shortly publish evidence on the affordability of increases to teacher pay as part of the input to the School Teachers’ Review Body consideration on teachers’ pay for 2018/19.

In July 2017 the Government announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at the Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. Following the Government’s announcement in September 2017, under the national funding formula school funding will be distributed based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in England.