Government announces £2.4bn in schools funding

Michael Gove has announced an additional £2.35bn in capital funding for councils to expand existing schools or build new schools.

The education secretary said the investment for 2015-17 would enable local authorities to plan and create the new school places needed in their areas.

The Department for Education said local authorities could use the funding to expand existing schools or fund new schools based on need.

The investment is in addition to the £5bn that has been allocated between 2011-15.

Gove said: “The major investment I am announcing today will enable local authorities to make sure that there are enough school places for every child who needs one in the years to come.

“The number of pupils in England is rising and is set to continue to rise well into the next parliament.

“Extending the allocations to a three year period will allow local authorities to plan strategically for the places they need.”

Gove said DfE had used a new methodology to allocate funding to London that “takes into account the higher costs of building in the capital”.

He added: “We are giving local authorities longer-term allocations for new school places, which will give them more certainty in their planning.

“We are targeting funding more effectively, based on local needs, through using data we have collected from local authorities about the size of schools and forecast pupil projections.

“We are also analysing local authority capital expenditure on new school places, so that there is greater accountability and transparency around how they use these funds.”

Full details of the capital allocations are available here.

The DfE also published an update to Sebastian James’ review of education capital, available here.