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 £4.2bn in real terms since 2010, with the funding gap growing by £1bn in the last year.
  • Seventy-five 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 9% cut in spending power since 2010-11, while maintained nursery schools have faced a 16% cut.
  • School spending power in Wales has been cut by £111m in real terms since 2010-11.

Key statistics

  • £4.2bn real-terms cut to English school spending power since 2010 (latest year 2024-25).
  • 75% 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 £485m, or nine per cent, since 2010-11 (latest year 2023-24).
  • Maintained nursery school spending power is down £59m, or sixteen per cent, since 2010-11 (latest year 2023-24).
  • 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 £11.5bn in 2020.

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.

Funding campaign

Schools are still in the midst of a funding crisis. After 14 years of austerity, there are no more efficiencies to be made in school budgets.

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