Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent 16–18 funding decisions on the Government’s stated ambition to develop a high‑skill workforce; and whether she plans to review the funding framework to ensure Further Education colleges can deliver the expected level of technical and vocational training.

The department has made significant increases to the average funding per student since the 2024/25 academic year, an expected per student increase of 10.5%. We expect that the average per student funding in 2026/27 will stand at £6,874, compared to £6,219 in the 2024/25 academic year.

In the 2026/27 academic year, we are also introducing a high value courses premium (HVCP) for construction. This is additional funding to encourage and support an increase in skilled construction workers. We will continue to fund the demographic increase in 16 to 19-year-olds, providing significant investment to ensure there are valuable and high-quality post-16 places for every student that wants one, supporting our economy and enabling young people to be able to progress and thrive.