Committees

Financial Sustainability of Schools in England

Inquiry

In a 2016 investigation the NAO found that on the basis of the Department for Education’s planned funding at that time, schools would need to find significant savings to counteract cost pressures caused mainly by rising pupil numbers and increases in staff costs.

Since then Government has increased funding for schools and provided additional support to help schools improve their financial sustainability, but in October the PAC reported that the new national schools funding formula put in place by DfE has seen a real terms shift in funding from already more deprived areas and schools to less deprived ones.

The Committee will question senior officials at the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency on whether DfE is distributing funding and supporting schools in a way that improves financial sustainability, including whether it:

  • has increased school funding in real terms and in a way that takes account of cost pressures;
  • is distributing funding for schools in line with its objectives; and
  • is supporting schools effectively to improve their financial positions.

If you have evidence on any of these questions, please submit it here by Wednesday 1 December.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Wednesday 1 December 2021.

Reports, special reports and government responses

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Forty-Second Report - Financial sustainability of schools in England
Inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England
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Report
Response to this report
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re 42nd report of the 2021-22 Session – Financial sustainability of schools in England, dated 27 April 2023
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re 42nd report of the 2021-22 Session – Financial sustainability of schools in England, dated 27 April 2023
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty Second report from Session 2021-22
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Government Response

Correspondence

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Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re 42nd PAC Report of Session 2021-2 – Financial Sustainability of Schools in England, dated 23 March 2022
Inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England
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Correspondence
Correspondence from Greg Ellwood-Hughes, Head of England, Parentkind, re - PAC inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England Parentkind response, dated 10 December 2021
Inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England
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Correspondence
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Financial Sustainability of Schools in England, dated 14 January 2022
Inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England
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Correspondence

Oral evidence transcripts

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8 December 2021
Inquiry Financial Sustainability of Schools in England
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Oral Evidence

Written evidence

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Mr Gary Peck (FSE0001)
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National Education Union (NEU) (FSE0003)
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National Foundation for Educational Research (FSE0004)
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Other publications

Government Responses
The Government has undertaken to respond to most committee reports within two months, although there are exceptions to this rule.
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Contact us

  • Email: pubaccom@parliament.uk
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  • Address: Public Accounts Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA