School funding uplift step in the right direction, but more investment needed

30 January 2025

According to the latest school funding statistics published by the Department for Education, the total amount of funding allocated to English schools for 5-16 year old pupils has grown since 2010/11, in line with general population growth. 

In 2025/26, the total funding covered through grants is £63.7bn, an 82% increase in comparison to 2010/11 (£35bn). The total funding allocated per pupil for 2025/26 was £8,210, a 59% increase compared to in 2010/11 (£5,180). Since 2019/20, funding has increased by 11.1% (after adjusting inflation) over the last six years, reaching £8,020 in 2025/26 and up 1.2% on 2024/25. 

Richard Lewis, Partner and National Head of Further Education, Skills and Academies at RSM UK, said: “The increase in school funding is encouraging, but there are still education establishments struggling financially. There is a growing need for organisations to support families, with recent findings from Teacher Tapp showing that financial hardship, housing and mental health struggles are the issues schools have been helping families with most over the last two years. Almost half (45%) of senior teachers surveyed said their school had provided financial support to families in the previous 12 months, with two thirds providing food for pupils to eat out of school hours. 

“A further challenge for the sector is the decarbonisation of estates to ensure safe and efficient buildings for children and young people to learn. The risk of collapsed ceilings, asbestos and leaks are key health and safety risks which could lead to further closures not just in schools but across the entire education sector. Therefore, despite increases to funding for this year being a step in the right direction, alongside government allocating £15bn over the last 10 years to improve school buildings, there’s much more investment needed to secure the future of education.”  

Richard Lewis
Partner, Head of FE, Skills and Academies
Richard Lewis
Partner, Head of FE, Skills and Academies