1Introduction
1.We launched this inquiry on 19 April 2018 to examine the state of school and college funding in England. We received a large number of written submissions and took oral evidence from a range of stakeholders across schools and colleges, unions, sector experts, and officials from the Department for Education.
2.Throughout our inquiry we acknowledged the inextricable links between funding levels and operational or policy issues. In line with our terms of reference, we focused as far as possible on questions around the funding levels and mechanisms themselves. Our inquiry touched on a number of areas that deserved greater attention than was possible to cover in this Report. In some cases these were handled in separate inquiries, for example in our concurrent inquiry into Special educational needs and disabilities.1 Other areas—for example off-rolling and school exclusions, or the role of multi-academy trusts—were examined in previous inquiries and may be examined in greater detail in future.2
3.We hope the results of our inquiry will be used to inform the upcoming spending review and support the Department in making the case for a more strategic approach to school and college funding.
1 Education Committee, Special educational needs and disabilities, HC 342, 18 April 2018
2 See for example Education Committee, Forgotten children: alternative provision and the scandal of ever increasing exclusions, 18 July 2018; Education Committee Multi-academy trusts, HC 204, 22 February 2017
Published: 19 July 2019