To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of inflation on the affordability of (a) the staff payroll and (b) other aspects of school budgets.

The Government is prioritising further funding for schools, which will help schools to manage aspects of their budgets, including staff payroll. The 2022 Autumn Statement has provided an additional increase in the core schools budget of £2.3 billion in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. After adjusting Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 (SR21) budgets down to take account of the removal of the compensation for employer costs of the Health and Social Care Levy, this brings the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25, £2 billion greater than published at SR21.

Schools' funding is £4 billion higher this year than last year. The funding announced in the 2022 Autumn Statement means it will rise by another £3.5 billion next year. This means a 15% increase in funding within two years. This significant increase in funding will help schools to meet increased pay awards for both teaching and non-teaching staff, wider inflationary costs such as energy costs, and enable schools to meet their White Paper commitments.

The Department knows that each school’s circumstances are different. If schools are in serious financial difficulty, they are encouraged to contact their Local Authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency, who can provide advice and, in exceptional circumstances, financial support.