Schools: North Shropshire

We are making a significant investment in the core schools budget, which we have already increased by £3.7 billion in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25.

The core schools budget is increasing by £1.7 billion in 2026-27. This includes funding that will enable us to reform the SEND system as announced within the Schools White Paper.

This investment is a critical step forward in our mission to support all children and young people to achieve and thrive and will support teachers and leaders to deliver high and rising standards across every school and for every pupil.

Shropshire local authority distributes funding for North Shropshire and is receiving £234.4 million for mainstream schools in financial year 2026-27 (including premises and excluding growth) through the Dedicated Schools Grant.

This equates to £6,556 per pupil on average, which represents an increase of 2.8% in per pupil funding since 2025-26.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs – such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language – receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils. The funding Shropshire receives reflects the level of additional needs of pupils in the local authority.

We are keeping the operation of the NFF under review, and will take the time needed to consider changes to our funding formulae going forward to ensure that we get any changes right. As announced in the Schools White Paper, we will move to a direct national funding formula for schools – which means that every mainstream school’s funding will be determined by the same, national formula. This will ensure that schools are funded on a fair basis wherever they are in the country, and will support wider reforms to create a more inclusive mainstream education system. We will consult on changes to the NFF ahead of the implementation of the direct NFF.