I have calculated that the reduction in education funding since 2010/11 is £153m in real terms assuming a 27% adjustment for inflation (Bank of England figure). Please can you confirm or deny. If the latter, please can you give me the correct figure.
The figure I am looking for is the total school’s budget for Devon County Council (DCC). I am not sure whether this is what you call Just Schools Funding.”
| Total spending on primary and secondary schools 2010/11 (Budget Book p.47 Enjoy and Achieve) |
£387.501m |
| Adjusted for inflation at 2.7%, in today’s money (CPI inflation adjustment 2.7% p.a) | £492.126m |
| Total spending on primary and secondary schools 2021/22 (Excl. Children’s social care but incl. academy schools p.51 Budget book) | £492.571m |
What we would see is a Compound Interest 2010/11 over 11 (on the assumed 2.7% pa – actual CPI is available from the Office of National Statistics website and varies every year) and gives the following response
|
Total Spending on Primary and Secondary Schools 2010/11 (Primary £194.765m; Secondary £192.736m) |
£387.501m |
| 2010/11 adjusted for compound interest | £519.455m |
|
Total Spending on Primary & Secondary Schools in 2021/22 (Schools £473.134m; Academy £19.437m) |
£492.571m |
This equates to a real term cut of £26.884m or 5.5%
However, the funding from 2010/11 to 2021/22 has gone through several funding formula reforms, and elements of funding have been removed and added to the schools funding over that time, so it is not comparing like for like. In addition, we are now paying for expenditure that was not expected to be funded from the budget in 2010/11.
Adjusting these figures to achieve comparable amounts would exceed the 18 hours (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Public authorities are not obliged to comply with requests which exceed the cost limit of £450 (equating to 18 hours of time). For this reason we believe that Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act applies (cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limits).
I am trying to work out for myself the drop in funding in Education since 2010/11 following my request to you on this matter. Unfortunately, I cannot find the Budget book for that year; your records seem to stop at 2012/13.
The budget book and previous years’ budget books can be found on the Council’s webpage.
(refer to Budgets and expenditure | Devon County Council and scroll down to view budgets from 2010/11 to 2021/22)