Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made in developing a national strategy for funding schools affected by falling pupil numbers.

The department recognises the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. We have allocated £155 million in Growth and Falling Rolls funding to local authorities in the 2026/27 financial year through the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Furthermore, the lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning. Additionally, we are working with the sector to develop a decision-making framework to support local areas to plan school places strategically through demographic change.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula accounts for the challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor. In Dorset, 34.5% of schools attract sparsity funding, reflecting the significant number of schools serving rural communities.