Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures her Department has in place to prevent the closure of financially vulnerable rural schools, including those affected by low pupil numbers and per-pupil funding arrangements within the academy school system.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. There is a presumption against the closure of all rural maintained schools and departmental guidance states that both the department and the local authority need to agree to the closure of a rural academy. Additionally, the schools national funding formula accounts for the challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum, which every school attracts regardless of size, and the sparsity factor.

In 2026/27, every school attracts a lump sum of £152,700 through the schools national funding formula irrespective of their size. In addition, through the sparsity factor, eligible primary schools can attract up to £58,600 and eligible secondary schools can attract up to £85,200. This sits alongside an increase in overall school funding, with the core schools budget rising by £2.3 billion to a total of £67.6 billion in 2026/27.