Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the per-pupil funding when taking into account increased National Insurance contributions costs and increased eligibility for free school meals in each year of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336); and what assessment they have made the level of per-pupil funding in those years compared to (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.
The department is providing schools with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support schools with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025. This funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula from 2026/27, ensuring that this additional funding forms an on-going part of schools’ core budgets. Total schools funding will increase by a further £4.2 billion, by the end of the Spending Review period.