Department For Education
Details
Basic need funding is the money we give local authorities each year to help them fulfil their duty to make sure there are enough school places for children in their local area.
Allocations for the 2025 to 2026 financial year, announced in 2023, will support local authorities to create the new school places they need by September 2026. This is in addition to allocations announced in 2022 for the 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 financial years for school places needed by September 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Capital funding for school places needed by 2026: explanatory note on methodology explains how we calculated the funding for each local authority, using data from the school capacity survey.
Basic need grant determination for 2023 to 2024 sets out the conditions of the grant for payments in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. The Secretary of State for Education makes grant determinations under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.
Basic need allocations guidance: 2023 to 2024 is intended to support local authorities as they consider how to best use their basic need allocations for the 2023 to 2024 financial year.
In addition to basic need funding, local authorities also receive high needs provision capital allocations to support the provision of new places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or requiring alternative provision.