Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education,with reference to the Education Policy Institute's Annual Report 2025, what plans she has to review the (a) adequacy and (b) targeting of disadvantage funding across all education phases in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

In the 2025/26 financial year, 10.6%, representing £5.1 billion of the schools national funding formula (NFF), has been allocated through deprivation factors, as part of the 17.8%, representing £8.6 billion, allocated for additional needs overall. Schools with more pupils with additional needs therefore receive extra funding to help them to close attainment gaps. In 2025/26, the most deprived schools have, on average, attracted the largest per pupil funding amounts. The per pupil funding rates provided in respect of all NFF additional needs factors can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/674f2609d7e2693e0e47d02a/NFF_Policy_document.pdf.

Alongside the NFF, the department is providing over £3 billion in pupil premium funding in 2025/26 to improve the attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Pupil premium funding allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2025-to-2026.