Primary school classroom and teacher

Education spending

Education spending is the second-largest element of public service spending in the UK behind health, representing £122 billion in today’s prices or about 4.1% of national income.

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Education spending - Reports, comment pieces and more

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Stages of education

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Early years

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Unlike schooling, further education and higher education, support for learning during the early years does not always fit neatly into a single box.

21 January 2026

School room

Schools

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The government has chosen to increase school spending in England at recent spending reviews.

21 January 2026

Sixth form college

Further education and sixth forms

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Recent funding increases for further education reverse some, but not all, of the real-terms decline experienced during the 2010s.

21 January 2026

Graduates seated

Higher education

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The government pays around £22 billion to fund the education of each cohort of England-domiciled full-time undergraduate students studying in the UK.

21 January 2026

Adult education class

Adult education and skills

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Adult education and skills encompasses a wide range of courses and learners, spanning different levels, modes of delivery and policy objectives.

21 January 2026

Annual reports, methods and data

Annual reports

In our annual series of reports on education spending, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we bring together data on education spending per student across the life cycle and provide analysis about the major issues facing different sectors.

Education spending

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