The Department for Education has the third largest annual spend across government, with a Departmental Expenditure Limit of £73.3 billion in 2018-19. Since 2010, education spending has decreased in real terms. School and further education spending per pupil, for example, have both fallen by 8 per cent.

The new Government has focused considerable domestic attention on education spending. In the 2019 Spending Round, it committed to raising per pupil school spending, increase newly qualified teachers’ salaries and investing in further education.

It is vital that this additional money is spent effectively to tackle the challenges faced by the education sector. Schools with crippling deficits, poor teacher recruitment and retention, and concerns over the implementation of T Levels still require attention.