The Department for Education has confirmed costs for its school insurance programme will rise again by 7.4 per cent this year, with the scheme now costing 60 per cent more than in 2020.
The risk protection arrangement (RPA), first set up in 2014, provides state schools an alternative to commercial insurance.
It covers risks such as material damage, personal accident and employers’ liability, with government covering the losses.
Now, the DfE has confirmed the amount it charges will rise from £27 to £29 per pupil from April 2026. This 7.4 per cent increase is far above the current rate of inflation, around 3.5 per cent.
It said costs were reviewed annually “to ensure breadth of cover and value for money are balanced”.
While the DfE first charged £25 per pupil for schools in 2014, prices were lowered to £18 per pupil in 2019-20.
Prices have since increased year on year, with a 61 per cent change from 2020 to 2026.
Around 12,400 schools were signed up to the RPA in January 2025. The DfE opened the scheme to LA-maintained schools in 2020.
It was originally launched to reduce the public cost of protecting academies against risk.
While schools may join at any time of the year, multi-academy trusts can join in a phased manner, where some academies may still have commercial insurance contracts in place.
The DfE has been approached for comment.
