“Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding education funding.
I am absolutely determined that children and young people in Hastings and Rye, and indeed across our country, should receive a first class education. I am in regular contact with the senior leadership (SLT) of all of our schools in Hastings and Rye, taking their specialist knowledge and perspective into account when approaching the issue of education funding, as well as wider education policy. Indeed, I have made clear that my door is always open to discussion with the SLT of each school. I have also been meeting regularly with the ministers responsible for education in the UK, as well as our local East Sussex County Council leader – Cllr Keith Glazier and the Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability - Cllr Bob Standley.
More money than ever before is being invested in schools, ensuring every child gets a world-class education. In 2024-25, the total core schools budget will be at its highest-ever level, in both real terms and in real terms per pupil. This budget will total £59.6 billion in 2024-25, an increase of £1.8 billion from this year and on top of the £3.9 billion rise in 2023-24. Education is an essential facilitator for good quality, broad based, economic growth and this is something the Government is keenly aware of.
You may know that mainstream schools in England will receive an average of around £6,000 for each pupil from next year through the National Funding Formula, with additional funding for teacher pay on top of that. Overall, funding will be at its highest-ever level in real terms per pupil in 2024-25, as measured by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, underlining the Government’s commitment to education. This money can be spent on staff salaries, school trips and classroom equipment which will raise school standards and educational outcomes. These increases form part of the additional £9.8 billion being invested in the schools core budget by 2024-25, compared to 2021-22.
Furthermore, teachers in England received the highest pay award for 30 years (6.5 per cent), after the Government accepted in full the recommendations set out by the independent pay review body. In doing so, the Government meets its manifesto commitment to raise the minimum starting salary for teachers to £30,000 from September. This deal has ensured teachers and school leaders called off strike action.
You may also know, the Department for Education has committed to a long-term School Rebuilding Programme, renovating 500 schools in England over the next decade. In December 2022, the Government announced that a further 239 schools and sixth form colleges have been provisionally selected for the School Rebuilding Programme, which means that in total 400 schools have benefitted to date. The Government has allocated over £13 billion since 2015 to maintain and improve school facilities across England, including £1.8 billion for the 2022-23 financial year, and an additional £500 million in capital funding to schools and colleges this financial year for energy efficiency upgrades.
I hope I have been able to provide you with assurance that the Government is committed to the long term funding of education in the interests of our economy and every child in Britain.
Yours sincerely,
Sally-Ann Hart MP”