£149m schools grant from government for West Berkshire schools
The main funding for schools is based on pupil numbers from the previous October census
West Berkshire Council has been given £149.1m from the Government to run its schools this year.
This includes a growth allocation of £0.4m – although many of the district’s schools are reporting falling numbers.
The main funding for schools is based on pupil numbers from the previous October census.
For example, The Willows Primary School saw one of the biggest drops in numbers with 40 fewer pupils, seeing a drop of £128,000 in funding.
John Rankin Junior School had 13 fewer pupils last year than in 2024, meaning it loses over £42,000 from its budget.
Park House School saw a drop of 48 pupils seeing a drop of more than £45,000 from its budget.
The purpose of the growth fund is to support maintained schools and academies which are required to provide extra places in order to meet basic need within the authority, and to meet the cost of new and reorganised schools including preopening costs.
It can also fund schools where very limited pupil number growth requires an additional class as set out by infant class size regulations.
To support their applications, schools were asked to submit information regarding increases in class and teacher numbers between the two academic years.
The complex formula for allocating growth funding to each local authority is based on actual growth in pupil numbers.
Schools will be notified of budgets in late February.
Schools are expected to contribute towards the costs of special education needs and disabilities (SEND) provision up to a threshold of £6,000 per pupil per annum.
The notional SEND budget is not intended to provide £6,000 for every pupil with SEND, as most support for such pupils will cost less than this.
A Government announcement last year saw a pledge for £3bn of investment being directed to create 50,000 more SEND places in mainstream schools, partly by cancelling some free school projects.
The long-awaited SEND reform white paper, originally due in autumn 2025, is now expected in early 2026, as detailed by the House of Commons Library.
Councils, including West Berkshire, continue to face financial pressure from rising education, health and care (EHC) plan numbers.