In response to today’s publication of the IFS’s analysis of school spending per pupil in England and Wales, Chair of the Assembly’s Children, Young People and Education Committee, Lynne Neagle AM, said:
“The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ analysis shows that while the school funding gap between England and Wales appears to have narrowed and was not as wide as previously thought, both countries have seen reductions in spending per pupil. We are concerned to see the IFS’s conclusion that spending per pupil in Wales has fallen by about 5% after accounting for inflation. School funding is an issue that has arisen regularly in our scrutiny work. As a result, we agreed as a Committee last month to undertake an inquiry on school funding. We will open our public consultation on our inquiry in autumn 2018, with a view to informing next year’s draft budget discussions. The IFS’s analysis will provide an important source of information for us.”