Justine Greening announced today that the total schools budget will increase by £1.3 billion over the next two years, meaning per pupil funding will be protected in real terms, not just cash terms.
The money to pay for this will come from efficiencies and savings from across the Department for Education, rather than increased borrowing, and that means finding some savings from within the free schools capital budget. However, the good news is that there will be no reduction in the actual number of free schools already planned for.
