Cost of state school

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Dear Department for Education,

I would like to know the following information:
1) What is the total cost of the education system for one year to the goverment including cost of free school meals, ema or its replacement and buildings maintenance and construction as well as front line costs such as salaries? Please provide data for 2005-2011
2) How many children are educated by the state sector or otherwise at the governnents expense each year for the same period?

3) What is the highest theoretical cost of sending one child to a secondary comprehensive school for one year, meaning a child receiving free school meals, full ema grant as well as any other benefits associated with school attemdance at the most expensive comprehensive school, plus the buildings and maintenace allowance for that school divided by the number of pupils the school would educate in the period for which that allowance applies?

Yours faithfully,
Duncan Rogers

Department for Education

Dear Mr Rogers

Thank you for your recent email. A reply will be sent to you as soon as
possible. For information, the departmental standard for correspondence
received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you
are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number
2012/0010373.

Thank you
Department for Education
Public Communications Unit
Tel: 0370 000 2288
www.education.gov.uk

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Department for Education

Dear Mr Rogers,
 

Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 10 February 2012. You requested information on (1) the total cost of the
education system each year for the period 2005-2011; (2) the number of  funded state pupils each year over the same period; and (3) the highest
theoretical cost of sending one child to a secondary comprehensive school for one year.

 

In relation to parts 1 and 2 of your query, the Department publishes a national funding per pupil series that covers all Schools funding (both
revenue and capital) within its Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) that covers the various strands you mention in part 1 of your query, divided
by all pupils aged 3-19 as mentioned in part 2. Figures for financial years 2004-05 to 2010-11 can be found at the link below. They are shown in
real terms to allow a meaningful comparison over time.

 

[1]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...

 

The overall budgets of actual and planned expenditure can be found in the Departmental Reports and Accounts, published at the link below:

 

[2]http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/dep...

 

Also, the national pupil number data are published at the following link:

 

[3]http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...

 

In addition, the Department publishes actual expenditure data in schools from the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) returns, that covers
spending  broken down by categories such as salaries, catering, energy etc. and can be found on the Schools Financial benchmarking site at the link
below:

 

[4]http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...

 

Finally, in relation to part 3 of your query, it is important to point out that the method you describe is not how we fund schools and so it is not
possible to give you an answer in that way. The Department funds Local Authorities (currently using an average Guaranteed Unit of Funding), who in
turn fund schools through their own formulae (which will include factors that give more funding to deprived areas), which the schools themselves
spend as they see fit. For your information, all maintained schools budgets per pupil can be found on the Section 251 Budget returns that can be
accessed at the link below:

 

[5]http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original
consideration of your request.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner's Office.

 
Yours sincerely,

Sean McCearney

Department for Education

4th Floor Sanctuary Buildings

London SW1P 3BT

E-Mail: [6][email address]

Tel: 020 7340 7971

[7]www.education.gov.uk

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2012/0010373.

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References

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1. http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/dep...
http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/dep...
3. http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB...
4. http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...
5. http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/admi...
6. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]
7. http://www.education.gov.uk/