Reading schools will receive an extra £5.7 million next year, a 6.4 per cent increase in funding in the first year of a three-year boost to education in the UK.

Every school in Reading will receive an above-inflation increase under the government’s recommendations, based on the current inflation rate of 1.7 per cent, but six of these schools will receive an increase of just 1.84 per cent.

The government’s Department for Education (DfE) announced its latest school funding plans on Friday (October 11), outlining how each school in the country should benefit from a £2.6 billion investment in education next year.

Councillor Ashley Pearce, RBC’s lead for Education, said: “Whilst any additional funding to schools is welcome this is not sufficient to plug the gaps schools have suffered at the hands of nearly a decade of government cuts.

“This still leaves schools with less funding than 2010 as schools have seen budgets slashed every year of this Conservative government.”

The National Funding Formula (NFF) will not be initiated until 2021 at the earliest which means Reading Borough Council (RBC) still creates its own formula.

The Schools Forum, made up of representatives of schools across the borough, has final approval.

Cllr Pearce said: “In Reading we are already quite close to the formula anyway, so schools won’t face a big shock when this is introduced.”

The DfE’s recommendations would see schools in Reading receive an average of £4,592 per pupil next year, but this could change depending on how many more pupils there are.

Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, said the biggest increases will go to the schools that need it most.

The WREN and Maiden Erlegh could get the biggest cash injections – with a recommended £1.1 million extra each.

All Saints Church of England Aided Infant School also stands to benefit, with the recommended 16.5 per cent increase in funding per pupil higher than any other Reading school.

The Heights Primary School would receive the lowest amount in Reading per pupil: £3,862.

Find out how much your school could get here.

Antony Kildare, Managing Director  of Brighter Futures for Children, which delivers education services in Reading, said:

‘The National Funding Formula gives Reading schools and early years settings an increase of 4% overall, which is good news for those with higher needs and for 3-4-year-olds.

“However, we can’t comment on the overall impact on us until we have properly analysed and cross-checked the funding against the census data.”

Every secondary school in England will receive a minimum of £5,000 per pupil next year, while primary schools will receive a minimum of £3,750 per pupil with this rising to £4,000 per pupil from 2021-22.