Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase funding for (a) schools and (b) colleges.

This Government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children and has channelled significant funding into education to achieve that.

The Autumn Statement in November 2022 announced that there would be an additional £2 billion of funding in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. In July 2023, the Department announced a further £525 million of funding in 2023/23, to support schools with the teachers’ pay award, and £900 million in 2024/25. This means funding for mainstream schools and high needs is over £3.9 billion higher in 2023/24 alone, compared to 2022/23, on top of a £4 billion cash increase last year. That represents a 16% increase in just two years.

In 2024/25, school funding will be more than £59.6 billion, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

This additional funding will enable head teachers to continue to spend in the areas that the Department knows positively impact educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most.

The Department has also increased overall funding for 16 to 19 education, with an extra £1.6 billion of funding provided in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22, which is the biggest increase in 16 to 19 funding in a decade.

16 to 19 funding has seen significant recent increases. In January 2023, the Department announced funding of £125 million for the 2023/24 financial year. In July 2023, the Department announced a further £185 million for the 2023/24 financial year and £285 million for the 2024/25 financial year.

This funding will help colleges and other 16 to 19 providers to address key priorities as they see fit, including tackling recruitment and retention issues in high value technical, vocational and academic provision which are of critical importance to economic growth and prosperity.