The gross expenditure reported by LA maintained schools has decreased every year since 2011-12 driven primarily by their conversion to academy status. The total gross expenditure by LA maintained schools in the financial year 2019-20 was £23.7 billion.
Of gross expenditure, £11.0 billion (47%) was spent on permanent and supply teaching staff, £4.3 billion (18%) on education support staff; £2.8 billion (12%) on other employee costs; and £5.6 billion (24%) on running expenses. These percentages are similar to those of 2018-19.
Education support staff include teaching assistants, who are more widely employed in primary and special schools. In the financial year 2019-20, 18% of total gross expenditure in primary schools and 33% of total gross expenditure in special schools was spent on education support staff. This compares to 10% in secondary schools. These figures have been similar in each year since 2014-15.
Due to the decrease in the number of maintained schools, it is more useful to compare the average net spend
per pupil over time.
The average net current spend per pupil for each school type, for financial years 2014-15 to 2019-20 is shown in the graph below. Between 2018-19 and 2019-20 the average spend per pupil increased for each school type:
- For primary schools, the average net current spend per pupil has risen by 6%, from £4,845 in 2018-19 to £5,114 in 2019-20.
- For secondary schools, the average net spend per pupils has risen by 4%, from £5,750 in 2018-19 to £5,974 in 2019-20.
- The average net spend per pupil in special schools has also risen by 4% from £21,894 in 2018-19 to £22,714 in 2019-20.
The net expenditure per pupil by LA maintained schools is provided in the map and table below. Selecting a LA in the map will display its overall net expenditure per pupil by for primary, secondary and all phases of schools collated (including nursery, special and PRU).
In the financial year 2019-20, the total income for all LA maintained schools was £23.7 billion. This includes funds delegated by the LA, funding for minority ethnic pupils and those with special educational needs, pupil premium, other grants and funding plus self generated income. The majority of income comes from LA funding and other grants.
Funding income for pupils with SEN was £1.5 billion, this now accounts for 7% of total funding income, the contribution that SEN funding income makes to total income has risen each year since 2014-15.
Pupil premium funding was £1.1 billion and accounts for 5% of total funding income, this percentage has declined slightly in each year since 2014-15.
Self generated income accounts for 7% of the total income of LA maintained schools. The total self-generated income of LA maintained schools was £1.5 billion. As the majority of LA maintained schools are primary (84%), it therefore follows that the majority of self generated income is raised by primary schools. In 2019-20, £1.0 billion (68%) was generated by primary schools, £0.3 billion (19%) was generated by secondary schools, and the remaining £0.2 billion (13%) was generated by special schools, nursery schools and PRUs together. The average amount of self generated income per school is lower in primary schools at £95,000 per school in 2019-20, the comparable figure for secondary schools is £360,000 per school. However the amounts raised per school vary widely, influenced by factors such as school size, facilities and location.
Of all sources of self generated income, the greatest proportion (32%) comes from income from facilities and services, with a further 10% of income generated by letting premises. Income from catering accounts for 16% of self generated income while contributions to visits etc. accounts for 12%.
