Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of school funding allocations for 2025-26.
“While funding per pupil is increasing by 2.23% on average, this includes a 1.28% increase to ensure that the 2024 pay awards for teachers and support staff continue to be funded at national level in 2025 to 2026. This means that the net per pupil increase next year is less than 1% which is unlikely to be sufficient to meet the rising costs of schools as these costs tend to outstrip inflation.
“In particular, it is difficult to see how schools will be able to afford teacher and support staff pay awards at anything like the level required to address historic pay erosion and a severe and deepening staffing crisis, let alone achieve the government’s aim of recruiting 6,500 extra teachers.
“We recognise the financial constraints in which the government is operating and its commitment to investing in education, but we are a long way short of the funding that is required to allow our schools and colleges to operate without the risk that many will have to make further cuts to their budgets and hence their educational provision.”