The future of education funding: what the spending review means for schools

A few weeks in advance of the publication of the comprehensive spending review (CSR) outcome we gathered a panel of experts to speculate on what the settlement might hold for the education sector.

The panel comprised Institute for Fiscal Studies economist, Luke Sibieta; Natalie Perera, CEO of the Education Policy Institute, former DfE Civil servant and veteran of CSR processes; Kate Anstey, a specialist on child poverty policy from The Child Poverty Action Group; and ex-government special advisor, author and journalist, Sam Freedman, who chaired the discussion.

Together, they explored key policy levers, debated the trade-offs involved, and considered how education might be prioritised amid competing demands for public funding.