Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools in rural communities.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is making a significant investment in the core schools budget in the 2026/27 financial year, with an extra £2.3 billion for schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF), which distributes funding for mainstream schools, accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor. This funding recognises the financial challenges small and remote schools can face, such as fewer opportunities to find efficiencies, the significant role they play in the rural communities they serve and that without such, pupils could face long travel distances to attend school.

In the 2026/27 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £58,600, and all other eligible schools up to £85,200. In addition to this, all small schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2026/27, including the NFF lump sum set at £152,700. This provides a fixed amount of funding that is not affected by pupil numbers.