Minimum per pupil funding rises for 2021, says DfE

Each secondary school will get a minimum of £5,150 per pupil and each primary a minimum of £4,000 per pupil under the national funding formula from 2021.

The Department for Education says that this is up from £5,000 for secondaries and £3,750 for primaries allocated this year, and is the second settlement from the £14.4 billion funding over three years.

Extra funding for small and remote schools will increase by over 60 per cent, reflecting the financial challenges that these schools can face. Pupils and families in rural areas from Cumbria to Norfolk will benefit from support for their local schools to remain financially secure.

The DfE says that an additional protection built into the funding formula means every pupil, regardless of the amount of funding they currently receive, will attract a year-on-year increase of at least two per cent.

Most local authorities will see increases of over three per cent in the funding allocated per pupil, with only historically highly funded authorities seeing smaller increases. Schools are also set to receive significant investment from the government’s £1 billion Covid catch-up package next academic year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Every child deserves a superb education - regardless of which school they attend, or where they happened to grow up. That is why we are providing additional funding now and for the future for every school - with those historically underfunded receiving the greatest increase.

"I want to again thank teachers, childcare workers and support staff for the brilliant work they have done throughout the pandemic, and for the preparations underway to welcome back all children from September. Our £1 billion covid catch-up package, on top of these increases in per pupil funding, will help head teachers support those who have fallen behind while out of school, and deliver a superb education for all children across the country.”