Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average amount of per pupil funding in mainstream schools in (a) North West Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England is (i) in the 2023-24 and (ii) planned for in the 2024-2025 financial year.

Through the schools national funding formula (NFF), the department calculates and publishes notional funding allocations for each mainstream school. These are aggregated up at local authority level and, following an update in pupil numbers, are used to calculate each local authority’s dedicated schools grant (DSG) allocations. Each local authority then determines individual schools’ final funding allocations through their own local formula.

In the 2023/24 financial year, through the DSG and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) combined, the national average per-pupil funding for mainstream schools in England is £5,839, a 5.6% increase from the previous year. Norfolk’s average per-pupil funding is £5,723, a 5.7% increase from the previous year. These are actual funding allocations. The department does not calculate the equivalent figures at constituency level as they would depend on each local authority’s own local formula.

The department has not yet published the DSG allocations for the 2024/25 financial year. However, we have published notional school level allocations through the NFF. In 2024/25, through the notional NFF allocations, the national average per-pupil funding for England will be £5,950, a 1.9% increase from this current financial year. Norfolk’s average per-pupil funding will be £5,851, a 2.2% increase from this current financial year.

North West Norfolk’s average per-pupil funding based on the notional NFF allocations will be £5,833, a 2.2% increase from this current financial year. However, final allocations for North West Norfolk will depend on the local authority’s local formula. The department does not have the equivalent per-pupil figure at constituency level for 2023/24 since it would not include the MSAG, which is paid separately from the NFF in 2023/24.

The figures above do not include the additional funding we are providing through the Teachers Pay Additional Grant , which is being provided on top of the DSG and the NFF in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. Nor do they include other grants, such as the pupil premium.