Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether private holiday clubs which usually take place on school premises will be allowed to go ahead during the summer holidays; and what guidance they are providing to schools in this respect.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government’s overriding priority remains keeping the public safe. Any steps taken as part of a phased lifting of restrictions need to therefore be measured and guided by the science. It is for this reason that, while we have set out that primary schools can now welcome back some of their pupils as part of a phased and cautious approach, we are advising that out of school settings, including private holiday clubs, should remain closed for the time-being.
The government will keep this position under review and continue to be guided by the best scientific and medical advice to ensure that the right decisions are taken at the right time.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of (1) primary, and (2) secondary school, students in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Information on schools and pupils in England is published in the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018.
Specifically, the number of primary and secondary school pupils in England in each year since 2010 can be found in table 2a, attached, within the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics 2018 - national tables’.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 3 April (HL14408), what was the total revenue funding provided to (1) primary schools, and (2) secondary schools in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Since 2013/14 there has been a schools block, within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), from which local authorities fund budget shares for schools based on the number of pupils within those schools. The amounts local authorities have allocated from their schools block to schools classed as primary schools and to schools classed as secondary schools for each year since 2013/14 to 2018/19 are shown in the following table:
Financial year | Schools classed as primary schools (£million) | Schools classed as secondary schools (£million) | Total (£million) |
2013/14 | 16,180 | 14,271 | 30,451 |
2014/15 | 16,637 | 14,212 | 30,849 |
2015/16 | 17,170 | 13,727 | 30,897 |
2016/17 | 17,529 | 13,732 | 31,261 |
2017/18 | 17,830 | 13,857 | 31,686 |
2018/19 | 18,267 | 14,364 | 32,631 |
Due to changes in the way the DSG was allocated to local authorities prior to 2013/14, it is not possible to provide figures broken down by primary and secondary schools from 2010/11 to 2013/14. Before 2013/14, funding allocated through the DSG to local authorities was not based on separate per pupil rates for schools. At this time, the DSG was allocated to each local authority using a single per pupil amount allowing them to fund individual budget shares for schools and academies, local authority central services for schools, additional support for high needs pupils, and provision for early years education.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the percentage increase or decrease in real terms per pupil funding for students in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The total of schools funding and funding per pupil in cash terms from 2010-11 to 2018-19 are set out in following tables. Breaks in the funding system do not allow for like for like comparisons.
Table 1
Funding 2010-11 to 2012-13
Financial year | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Funding for schools (£ million) | 36,506 | 37,169.90 | 38,037.70 |
Funding per pupil (£) | 5,143 | 5,169 | 5,245 |
For the financial year 2010-11, the figures includes the total Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) (schools block, early years block and the high needs block), and other schools related grants. From 2011-12 the total funding figures includes the DSG, the pupil premium and other schools related grants.
Table 2
Funding 2013-14 to 2018-19
Financial year | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
Funding for schools (£ million) | 40,861 | 42,466 | 43,965 | 44,413 | 45,742 | 46,332 |
High Needs Block (£ million) | 4,967 | 5,184 | 5,247 | 5,300 | 5,827 | 6,115 |
Schools Block (£ million) | 30,412 | 30,655 | 32,168 | 32,650 | 33,094 | 33,684 |
Schools block unit of funding (£) | 4,551 | 4,555 | 4,612 | 4,636 | 4,619 | n/a |
Schools block primary unit of funding (£) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,058 |
Schools block secondary unit of funding (£) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5,229 |
From 2013-14, per pupil funding figures are based on the DSG schools block only. Schools receive funding on top of this through the pupil premium, primary PE and sport premium, Year 7 Catch Up premium and the grant to support universal infant free school meals (from 2014-2015). In 2017-18, the balance between the schools and high needs block was re-set, with some £250 million being transferred from the schools block to the high needs block, to better reflect the actual spending decisions that local authorities had been taking. This accounts for the apparent reduction in the School Block Unit of Funding in that year. Before 2018-19, schools block funding was not allocated separately for primary and secondary phases.
The government publishes gross domestic product deflators that can be used to understand the impact of inflation over time. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-october-2018-budget-2018.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding was provided per pupil in cash terms for students in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The total of schools funding and funding per pupil in cash terms from 2010-11 to 2018-19 are set out in following tables. Breaks in the funding system do not allow for like for like comparisons.
Table 1
Funding 2010-11 to 2012-13
Financial year | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Funding for schools (£ million) | 36,506 | 37,169.90 | 38,037.70 |
Funding per pupil (£) | 5,143 | 5,169 | 5,245 |
For the financial year 2010-11, the figures includes the total Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) (schools block, early years block and the high needs block), and other schools related grants. From 2011-12 the total funding figures includes the DSG, the pupil premium and other schools related grants.
Table 2
Funding 2013-14 to 2018-19
Financial year | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
Funding for schools (£ million) | 40,861 | 42,466 | 43,965 | 44,413 | 45,742 | 46,332 |
High Needs Block (£ million) | 4,967 | 5,184 | 5,247 | 5,300 | 5,827 | 6,115 |
Schools Block (£ million) | 30,412 | 30,655 | 32,168 | 32,650 | 33,094 | 33,684 |
Schools block unit of funding (£) | 4,551 | 4,555 | 4,612 | 4,636 | 4,619 | n/a |
Schools block primary unit of funding (£) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,058 |
Schools block secondary unit of funding (£) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5,229 |
From 2013-14, per pupil funding figures are based on the DSG schools block only. Schools receive funding on top of this through the pupil premium, primary PE and sport premium, Year 7 Catch Up premium and the grant to support universal infant free school meals (from 2014-2015). In 2017-18, the balance between the schools and high needs block was re-set, with some £250 million being transferred from the schools block to the high needs block, to better reflect the actual spending decisions that local authorities had been taking. This accounts for the apparent reduction in the School Block Unit of Funding in that year. Before 2018-19, schools block funding was not allocated separately for primary and secondary phases.
The government publishes gross domestic product deflators that can be used to understand the impact of inflation over time. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-october-2018-budget-2018.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy with regard to parents of state funded schools being asked to provide funding to support the operations of those schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is committed to ensuring that state education remains free for school age children.
Schools cannot charge for education provided during the school day. Schools are also unable to charge for education outside of the school day where that education is provided in pursuance of a duty to provide the national curriculum, as part of a prescribed public examination or part of religious studies.
Nothing in legislation prohibits schools from asking parents for donations for any school activity. However, it must be clear that the request is voluntary and children must not be treated differently based on whether or not they made a contribution.