Blunder Means Nearly £5m Less Funding For Schools

An error by government officials means schools across Leicestershire will get nearly £5m less additional funding than initially anticipated.

The Department for Education admitted the mistake last month and it has now been revealed just how much it amounts to for every school in the county.

Kibworth Primary School is one of those to lose out most, with the blunder seeing its funding allocation for next year revised down by nearly £26,500.

In Market Harborough, Welland Park Academy will get over £57,000 less than it was first told, while Robert Smyth Academy’s allocation has dropped by £45.000.

Schools across the country were given an indication of the funding they could expect to receive for 2024/25 in July based on a national formula, but the DoE calculated the figures using incorrect pupil numbers.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said: “The impact of the (DfE’s October) funding announcement is an overall reduction in Leicestershire schools indicative National Funding Formula (NFF) allocation for 2024/25 of around one per cent.

“For a number of schools, however, the reduction triggers funding protection within the NFF, meaning the figure is lower.”

Cllr Phil Knowles, leader of Harborough District Council, told HFM the error will impact schools’ budget planning:

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The NFF allocations for schools have now been updated and published.

“The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the NFF technical error.

“The Secretary of State has asked the Permanent Secretary to carry out an external and independent evaluation of the quality assurance process for the NFF and improvements have already been identified to ensure that similar mistakes are not repeated.”