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Written question asked by Rosie Duffield (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2026. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Monday, 6 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Schools: Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to publish criteria and guidance, so schools understand how funding decisions are made, what evidence is required, who makes those decisions, and how consistency is ensured.

Answer

The department publishes a range of guidance each year to support schools and local authorities in understanding how funding is allocated, available at the links below.

National funding formula policy papers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.

National funding formula tables and technical notes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2026-to-2027.

The schools operational guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2026-to-2027/schools-operational-guide-2026-to-2027.

Information on the dedicated schools grant calculations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027.

The High needs funding operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2026-to-2027/high-needs-funding-2026-to-2027-operational-guide.

Early years Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2026-to-2027.

16 to 19 Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance.

Capital funding guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c2a9363ed0546101e0dbdd/Condition_funding_methodology_and_spend_guidance_2026_to_2027.pdf.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
12793
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Finance Schools
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk