Written question WQ95021
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary ensure that the consequential funding from increased school funding in England is ring-fenced for education in Wales, to address the school funding crisis and support vulnerable learners as highlighted in NAHT Cymru’s Falling Short report?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Education
We welcome the UK’s recent Budget which provides extra revenue and capital funding for the Welsh Government in 2024-25 and 2025-26. However, we continue to face significant financial challenges as we develop our Draft Budget 2025-26, which will be published in December. Our budget will focus on our priorities, which includes raising school standards.
The Welsh Government provides funding to local authorities to support their pre-16 education provision in Wales mainly through the Local Government Settlement. The settlement is not ring-fenced, and decisions on the level of funding available to schools and to other services are made by each authority as part of their overall budget and council tax setting. This is in line with the Welsh Government’s policy that local authorities are best placed to judge local needs and circumstances and to fund schools accordingly.