Schools: Funding

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I am not sure that is unusual. It has always been the case that in order to benefit from a private education, you need to be able to afford it. The vast majority of children in this country attend state schools. That is why this Government are focusing our investment and our reform on those schools. That is the way to solve the problem of children from whatever background not receiving the education that they deserve.

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)]

My Lords, will the Minister please answer the question that my noble friend Lord Effingham asked? Is this money being ring-fenced or not? Ring-fenced means ring-fenced, not part of some general budget.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The point I was making was that the VAT on private schools is raising £1.8 billion a year, and in just one year we are investing £3.7 billion in the increase in the core schools budget. If the argument that noble Lords opposite are making is that this is a small amount of the increased investment that this Labour Government are putting into education, they are right, but it is nevertheless an important amount.