Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will revise the funding formula for schools in England to better reflect educational disadvantages among young people from white working-class backgrounds.

The Independent Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes published its report in June 2026. The department will continue to engage with the Inquiry as it takes forward the next stage of its work.

The department is determined to do more to improve the life chances of our disadvantaged children, and the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ white paper establishes our plan to improve outcomes for all children.

We are investing significantly 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) distributes funding for mainstream schools based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics.

In the 2026/27 financial year, 11% (£5.6 billion) of the schools NFF has been allocated through deprivation factors, and 18.1% (£9.2 billion) has been allocated for additional needs overall. In addition, we are providing approximately £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding.