Funding for schools released

The total amount of funding allocated to English schools for 5-16 year old pupils has grown since 2010-11 as the total pupil population has also grown.

In cash terms, the total funding allocated to schools through the grants covered in this report is £57.3 billion in 2023-24, an increase of 64% compared to the £35.0 billion allocated in 2010-11. The 2022 Autumn Statement means funding will increase further in 2024-25.

On a per-pupil basis the total funding allocated to schools for 5-16 year old pupils, in cash terms, in 2023-24 was £7,460, a 44% increase compared to £5,180 allocated per pupil in 2010-11.

When adjusted for inflation, funding per pupil was broadly flat between 2010-11 and 2015-16 at about £6,700 in 2022-23 prices. It then fell by 3.8% over 2016-17 and 2017-18, but subsequently increased by 1.3% over 2018-19 and 2019-20. Since then, funding has increased by 10.3% over the course of the following four years, reaching £7,220 in 2023-24 (in 2022-23 prices).

Sector Response

Jason Tomlinson, Managing Director at RM said:

“Investing funding in the right areas is the framework schools must pay close attention. The where and how money is spent is what will give students the best resources to learn. During the height of the pandemic, almost two thirds (61%) of teachers believed technology had the potential to improve the state of education in the future. Yet without the correct implementation, the effectiveness of any technology will only reduce.

“Schools must look to various schemes run by the Department for Education such as Connect the Classroom and the Trust Capacity Fund for 2023 to 2025 (with applications open again in April). In addition, schools should consider whether leasing is a more suitable option. Many schools and trusts already lease office equipment, such as photocopiers or printers and can apply the same principle to IT equipment, which commonly lowers costs, offers ease of updating, increased reliability, and flexibility when budgeting. With more and more pressure on teachers’ time, investing in the right technology that supports your school and minimises the more laborious tasks is critical, but schools must make sure that the enthusiasm for its usage is top-down and drives buy-in from across entire schools.”