The government announced a funding settlement for schools giving guaranteed minimum increases in their core funding of 4 per cent per pupil for primary schools and 3.4 per cent per pupil for secondary schools in 2006-07, with a further minimum guaranteed increase for all schools of 3.7 per cent in 2007-08.
Source: Press release 7 December 2005, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | Hansard | LGA briefing
Date: 2005-Dec
The government said that, in the light of responses to a consultation on proposed new arrangements for school funding from 2006-07, the two years 2006-07 and 2007-08 should be a transitional period, and that the new arrangements should be introduced in full from 2008-09.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 21 July 2005, columns 128-139WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2005-Jul
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on education spending. It said that difficulties in linking investment in education with examination results in a particular time period did not undermine the case for the investment to be made.
Source: Public Expenditure on Education and Skills: Government Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2004-05, Third Special Report (Session 2004-05), HC 492, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2005-Apr
The government announced (in the Budget) that a capital spending programme which aimed to replace dilapidated secondary schools would be extended to include primary schools. 9.4 billion would be invested over a 5-year period, 650 million of which was new money. 8,900 primary schools would be rebuilt or significantly refurbished within 15 years.
Source: Investing for our Future: Fairness and opportunity for Britain s hard-working families, HC 372, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 16 March 2005, columns 257-269, TSO | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 17 March 2005, columns 419-492, TSO
Links: Report (pdf) | Report (pdf links) | Hansard (Budget speech) | Hansard (Budget debate) | HMT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
The government began consultation on new school funding arrangements to be introduced from April 2006. There would be three-year budgets for all maintained schools, geared to pupil numbers, with a guaranteed minimum increase each year for every school; a ring-fenced dedicated schools grant for school funding from the Department for Education and Skills to local authorities; and a new single standards grant, simplifying and streamlining existing standards-related funding streams.
Source: Consultation on New School Funding Arrangements from 2006-07, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document | DfES press release
Date: 2005-Feb
A report said that although new school funding arrangements (introduced in 2003-04) had provided greater financial certainty and financial control for schools, they were perceived to have reduced local education authorities' discretion and their flexibility to cater for local needs.
Source: Mary Atkinson, Emily Lamont, Caroline Gulliver, Richard White and Kay Kinder, School Funding: What Next? - Local authority and school views, final report, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that the government needed to take great care in making claims about the effectiveness of increased investment in education in increasing levels of achievement which the evidence could not be proved to support. Links between expenditure and outcome remain difficult to establish.
Source: Public Expenditure on Education and Skills, First Report (Session 2004-05), HC 168, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
