School funding

School spending power has been cut across England and Wales, leaving most schools with lower real-terms funding than in 2010 and increasing pressure on staff, pupils and buildings.

Key facts

  • School spending power in England has been cut by £4.5bn in real terms since 2010, with the funding gap growing by £300m in the last year.
  • Seventy-four per cent of mainstream schools in England now have lower real-terms per-pupil funding than in 2010-11.
  • More than one million pupils are taught in classes of over thirty, with primary class sizes the largest in Europe and secondary class sizes the highest since records began.
  • Special schools in England have seen a 11% cut in spending power since 2010-11, while maintained nursery schools have faced a 12% cut.
  • School spending power in Wales has been cut by £111m in real terms since 2010-11.

Key statistics

  • £4.5bn real-terms cut to English school spending power since 2010 (latest year 2025-26).
  • 74% of mainstream English schools have lower real-terms per-pupil funding than in 2010-11.
  • More than one million pupils are in classes of more than thirty.
  • Special school spending power in England is down £618m, or eleven per cent, since 2010-11 (latest year 2024-25).
  • Maintained nursery school spending power is down £44m, or twelve per cent, since 2010-11 (latest year 2024-25).
  • School spending power in Wales is down £111m, or four per cent, since 2010-11 (latest year 2025-26).
  • At the end of the previous Labour government, annual capital spending on school buildings was £7bn in 2023-24 prices, compared with an average £2.5bn under the Conservatives and £4.5bn planned by the current government.
  • The repair and refurbishment backlog for school buildings was estimated at £13.8bn for 2023-24.

Campaign asks

  • Restore real-terms per-pupil funding to at least 2010-11 levels in every nation and phase, with additional funding targeted at disadvantage.
  • Provide a secure, long-term funding settlement for maintained nursery schools, recognising their role in supporting disadvantaged children and those with SEND.
  • Increase capital investment to clear the repair backlog and deliver a sustained school rebuilding and refurbishment programme.
  • Reform funding formulas so that no school is left unable to meet basic needs such as staffing, support services and essential resources.

 

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