Public School Funding in England:  describing the model and recent trends

José Quibao Neto; Bruno Mallett

doi:10.22491/2236-5907132851

Authors

José Quibao Neto Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Assis/SP – Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7222-2807
Bruno Mallett University of Bristol, Bristol – United Kingdom https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6542-2434

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22491/2236-5907132851

Keywords:

England Public Education, School Funding, School Costs, National Funding Formula (NFF)

Abstract

This article describes aspects of the financing of compulsory education in England. In the first part, it provides an overview of the country’s educational policies that have shaped school funding changes. The second part explains the stages and ages of compulsory education in the country and examines the growth of enrolment in each school type. The paper also explores the National Funding Formula (NFF), its factors and allocations, and presents official data on spending by school type and average per-pupil expenditure in England. The data reveals an increase in compulsory enrolment in public schools since 2015, putting pressure on education costs. There has also been a proliferation of school types in the country, leading to varying per-pupil spending across school types and a significant flow of public funding to private actors. Additionally, public spending on education decreased over most of the 2010s, representing a significant squeeze on school resources and teacher pay. Despite the current government’s efforts to restore 2010 budget levels, this goal remains unmet.

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Author Biographies

José Quibao Neto, Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Assis/SP – Brazil

José Quibao Neto é formado em Letras pela Universidade de São Paulo, mestre e doutor em educação pela mesma Universidade, atuou como professor de Língua Portuguesa em escolas públicas e privadas e como docente em curso de graduação em Pedagogia no Centro Universitário Eniac. Como experiência internacional concluiu um mestrado no Departamento de Educação da Universidade de Oxford e foi Pesquisador Visitante no Instituto de Educação da University College London (UCL). Como pesquisador associado, integra o Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Política Educacional (GREPPE/UNICAMP) e a Rede de Latino Americana e Africana de Pesquisadores em Privatização da Educação (Relaappe).

Bruno Mallett, University of Bristol, Bristol – United Kingdom

Bruno Mallett graduated in educational studies at Leeds Beckett University (BA Hons) and University of Oxford (MSc). His interests and academic work lie in global higher education, global educational governance and English educational history.

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