The government has vowed to “protect” education priorities at next week’s budget, including by committing £1.4 billion to funding the existing school rebuilding programme next year.
The announcement represents a £550 million increase in funding for the rebuilding programme compared to last year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also said she will triple investment in school breakfast clubs to “over £30 million” next year.
But there is no word yet on whether school revenue funding will rise, or whether much-needed extra funding for SEND will materialise.
A Treasury press release said today that “improving opportunities” for children and young people would be a “key feature” of the chancellor’s first budget this coming Wednesday.
It repeated the new Labour government’s line that the party is having to make “tough decisions” in the face of a £22 billion blackhole in public finances inherited from the Conservatives.
More money, but for existing rebuilds
The 10-year school rebuilding programme was first announced by Boris Johnson in 2021. At the time, government said it would spend £1 billion a year. But successive administrations have been silent on longer-term funding.
The programme aims to deliver 50 rebuilds a year, with buildings prioritised according to their condition. There are currently 518 projects in the programme, including many schools that have been identified as having dangerous crumbly RAAC concrete.
The Treasury told Schools Week the £1.4 billion was for 2025-26 and represents a £550 million increase on what was spent last year.
It comes after education minister Stephen Morgan re-committed the government to the rebuilding programme earlier this month.
Future funding decisions would be made at the next phase of its spending review, which is due to conclude in March.
Reeves said: “This government’s first budget will set out how we will fix the foundations of the country. It will mean tough decisions, but also the start of a new chapter for Britain, by growing our economy through investing in our future to rebuild our schools, hospitals and broken roads.
“Protecting funding for education was one of the things I wanted to do first because our children are the future of this country. We might have inherited a mess, but they should not suffer for it.”
Breakfast clubs funding ramps up to £30m
Free breakfast clubs for primary schools were a key manifesto commitment for Labour. The party previously costed the scheme at £315 million and said this would be met from closing non-dom tax loopholes.
Last month Reeves announced an initial £7 million of funding available for the rollout of the clubs in April next year.
Today’s Treasury press release said the government “will triple its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million”. The department told Schools Week this would be for 2025-26 and that it remained “committed” to the manifesto pledge.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “This is a budget about fixing the foundations of the country, so there can be no better place to start than the life chances of our children and young people.
“Our inheritance may be dire, but I will never accept that any child should learn in a crumbling classroom.
“We are determined to break down those barriers to opportunity, whether it’s brilliant early years, free breakfast clubs or high and rising standards in our schools, this government is putting education back at the forefront of national life.”
Capital funding boost ‘modest’ compared to shortfall
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL leaders’ union, said the school and college estate had been “terribly neglected”, with capital funding cut by 50 per cent in real-terms since 2010.
“The new government has clearly got a lot of work to do and this additional investment is very welcome. However, an additional £550 million is pretty modest when set against the £4.4 billion shortfall in the funding needed to maintain the school estate.”
Paul Whiteman, leader of the NAHT heads’ union, said it was “important that the government is very clear about what it means by ‘protected’.
“We urge the government to use the reduction in pupil numbers some schools are facing to increase per pupil funding both in the short and longer term.”
He said the £1.4 billion for rebuilding was “helpful”, but “there remains a significant shortfall in terms of what is needed to restore the school estate to a satisfactory condition.
“We would urge the Treasury to use the three year spending review next spring to commit to a major school rebuilding programme.”
