Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the real terms per pupil change in the overall schools budget will be in each of the next three years taking into account salary and national insurance increases, the apprenticeship levy and anticipated growth in pupil numbers.

The Government wants to make sure that all pupils, regardless of where they live or their background, receive a good education that enables them to fulfil their potential. We have made significant progress as there are now 1.8 million more pupils in schools that are rated as good or outstanding than there were in 2010.

We want to ensure every school has the resources it needs to deliver an excellent education for every pupil. That is why the core schools budget has been protected in real terms since 2010 and is set to rise from £41 billion in 2017-18 to over £42 billion in 2019-20 with increasing pupil numbers.

We know that the way in which schools use their money is also an important factor in delivering the best outcomes for pupils. We will, therefore, continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways. The Government has produced tools, information and guidance to support improved financial health and efficiency in schools, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

Further details on the Government’s plans will be available in due course.