Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne yesterday announced the Comprehensive Spending Review 2015. Here are 13 things schools need to know:
- Free childcare doubled from 15 hours to 30 hours a week for working families of 3- and 4-year-olds, worth up to £5,000 per child per year from September 2017, and investment of over £1 billion more a year by 2019 to 2020 on free childcare places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.
- School budgets will be protected in real terms, enabling a per pupil protection for the dedicated schools grant and the pupil premium.
- Around £600 million to be saved from the education services grant ( ESG) and the supporting of schools to realise efficiencies.
- There will be a £23 billion capital investment over the Parliament to open 500 free schools, provide over 600,000 additional school places, rebuild and refurbish over 500 schools and address essential maintenance needs.
- Funding for universal infant free school meals will be maintained.
- £50 million of capital funding to create additional places in nurseries and over £300 million a year to increase the average hourly rate paid to childcare providers.
- There will be support for 800 more national leaders of education to continue driving up performance in schools, while increasing funding for teacher training and recruitment to deliver the English Baccalaureate and more specialist STEM teaching.
- The current national base rate per student for 16- to 19-year-olds in England will be protected in cash terms over the Parliament.
- There will be protection of the department’s central children’s services budget at over £300 million per year to help drive up social care workforce standards.
- The first ever national funding formula for schools, high needs and early years will be introduced; consultation in 2016, and implementation from 2017 to 2018.
- Additional funding schools receive through the Education Services Grant will be phased out.
- There will be a reduction of the local authority role in running schools and removal of a number of statutory duties.
- Sixth-form colleges in England will be given the opportunity to become academies, allowing them to recover their non-business VAT costs.
Reaction on social media
The #SpendingReview was an incredibly good settlement for education across the board: @PXeducation‘s take on #SR2015 https://t.co/KasTCdU9o2
— Policy Exchange (@Policy_Exchange) November 26, 2015
Press release: Schools and colleges face real-terms cuts despite spending review https://t.co/ziBSIlriR1 #spendingreview education
— ASCL (@ASCL_UK) November 25, 2015
Great to hear that the pupil premium will remain a universal payment for all disadvantaged pupils #spendingreview
— EEF (@EducEndowFoundn) November 25, 2015
After the #SpendingReview – Schools still at #breakingpoint https://t.co/Whyd0bNk1O pic.twitter.com/gFMm3CAFVb
— NAHT (@NAHTnews) November 25, 2015
In spite of better than expected #spendingreview settlement for educ, academies still face sig funding cuts @tes https://t.co/JodDlDy327
— SSAT (@ssat) November 26, 2015
What #spendingreview means for education over next 4yrs https://t.co/neSqpC4SFl @educationgovuk #SSATRS #SSATprimary #AutumnStatement
— SSAT (@ssat) November 26, 2015
