Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding calculations for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools track demand and pupil numbers closely.

Funding to local authorities for both primary and secondary schools is calculated on the basis of pupil numbers recorded in the Schools Census in October of the previous year. This lagged funding system allows local authorities to set firm school budgets before the financial year starts, which helps schools’ financial planning. The lagged funding system means that institutions experiencing growth in-year will not ordinarily see increases in their funding until the following financial year.

Local authorities do have the freedom to top slice the dedicated schools grant to form a growth fund, which can be used to support schools and academies suffering financial difficulty due to growing pupil numbers in their area. It is for local authorities to decide whether to set up a growth fund, and which schools in their areas should benefit from this fund.