Analysis finds 9% drop in real terms for 2022-23 will be largest for over 40 years despite urgent need for post-pandemic recovery
The government will spend less on school pupils in England next year than it did in 2009-10 despite a recent £7bn funding boost, according to a report warning that the austerity-era spending squeeze still persists.
Total spending per pupil in England was just over £6,500 in the latest complete year of data in 2019-20, a fall of 9% in real terms compared with its high point of £7,200 in 2009-10, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.