West Berkshire Council has been given £149.
West Berkshire Council has been given £149.1m from the Government to run its schools this year. That includes a growth allocation of £0.4m — despite many district schools reporting falling pupil numbers.
Main funding is tied to pupil numbers from the previous October census. The Willows Primary School saw one of the biggest drops, with 40 fewer pupils and a loss of £128,000 in funding. John Rankin Junior School had 13 fewer pupils than in 2024, losing over £42,000. Park House School lost 48 pupils and more than £45,000 from its budget.
The growth fund exists to help maintained schools and academies provide extra places to meet basic need, to cover costs for new or reorganised schools (including pre-opening costs), and to fund cases where limited pupil growth requires an additional class under infant class size regulations.
To support applications, schools were asked to submit details of increases in class and teacher numbers between the two academic years. Allocation to each local authority is decided by a complex formula based on actual pupil growth.
Schools will be notified of their budgets in late February.
On SEND funding, schools are expected to contribute towards special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision up to a threshold of £6,000 per pupil per annum. The notional SEND budget is not intended to provide £6,000 for every pupil with SEND, as most support will cost less than this.
The Government announced a £3bn pledge to create 50,000 more SEND places in mainstream schools, partly by cancelling some free school projects. The long-awaited SEND reform white paper, originally due in autumn 2025, is now expected in early 2026.
Councils, including West Berkshire, continue to face financial pressure from rising education, health and care (EHC) plan numbers.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
