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PrintPre-budget report - Implications for Education Finance
The Chancellor's pre-budget report on 6th December included some early indications for the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 and in particular, some early indications of additional capital and revenue funding for Education during the CSR period 2007- 2011. Comprehensive Spending Review 2007
- What the Chancellor described as "the baseline savings ambition for the 2007 CSR period" is to be set at "at least 3 per cent per year across central and local government", with a focus on net cashable savings to free-up resources to meet the challenges ahead;
- in addition, administration budgets across departments are to be reduced by 5 per cent per year in real terms. Capital Investment
- For Education, capital investment is to rise from £8.3 billion in 2007-08 to £10.2 billion in 2010-11, taking total investment to £36 billion over the next four years.
- The Chancellor promises to will set out long term plans for investment "to rise further over the next decade"; Comments
- For 2007-08, the figure of £8.3bn represents a rise of some £250m over the previously suggested figure of £8bn.
- The rise to £10.2bn in 2010-11 in turn compares with the figure of £5.1bn which was originally announced in the 2003 launch of Building Schools for the Future for the year 2005-06. Prior to the Building Schools for the Future initiative, capital investment in schools was around £3bn.
- The rebuilding and refurbishment, to include major IT improvements, is now expected to benefit some 90% of secondary schools and 50% of primary schools.
- Note that the total capital investment figures do not cover schools alone - they include amounts for 100 rebuilt colleges and 3,500 new children's centres.
- Note also that these figures are for England - separate announcements are promised for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Revenue Funding for Education Other Education measures outlined in the report are for:
- a further £130 million through the Dedicated Schools Grant to schools in England in 2007-08, including to support personalised teaching and extended services;
- an increased focus on small group and one-to-one support, with the Every Child a Reader scheme rolled out nationally to 30,000 children a year by 2010-11, and an additional £10 million in 2007-08 to increase personalised support in schools where boys are falling behind Exemplifying the increase in revenue funding, the Chancellor said that direct payments to "the typical primary school" will rise from £39,000 in 2006-07 to £50,000 for 2007-08 and for "the typical secondary school" from £150,000 to £200,000. This gives the Chancellor a headline figure of "giving an average of £200 per pupil for primary schools and £225 per pupil for secondary schools" in three months' time.