House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
School funding
18 March 2025 · Department for Education
Proposed by Bridget Phillipson Lab Houghton and Sunderland South
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The National Insurance Contributions Grant funding rates and pupil premium funding rates for the financial year 2025-26 are confirmed
- The Department for Education is providing over 1 billion in NICs Grant to support schools, colleges, and high needs settings
- Total pupil premium funding will rise to over 3 billion in 2025-26, representing a nearly 5% increase from the previous year
Issue summary
The statement confirms the National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Grant funding rates and pupil premium funding rates for the financial year 2025-26.
Action requested
The Department for Education is providing over £1 billion in NICs Grant to support schools, colleges, and high needs settings with increased employer National Insurance contributions. Additionally, total pupil premium funding will rise to over £3 billion in 2025-26, an increase of almost 5% from the previous year.
Key facts
- The NICs Grant will provide £786 million for mainstream (5-16) schools and academies.
- High needs settings will receive £125 million in NICs Grant funding.
- Local authority centrally employed teachers will get £22 million from the NICs Grant.
- Post-16 providers are set to receive £155 million, while early years providers will get £25 million.
- The total core schools budget for 2025-26 is over £64.8 billion.
- Primary pupils eligible for free school meals or have been in the past six years will receive a pupil premium of £1,515 per year from April 2025.