I have long campaigned for fairer funding for our schools locally, including together with school leaders and council leaders before I was elected as our local MP, given that our schools in South Gloucestershire have had the lowest funding in England for many years.
Since my election in 2024, I have spoken about this in Parliament as well as raised it directly with the Education Secretary and Schools Minister, to champion our schools and local children.
I was pleased to welcome the Schools Minister, Georgia Gould, to our community in December 2025 to see some of the recent work at Blackhorse Primary School on SEND support, and also to have a wider conversation about SEND support in our area. This also involved Department for Education (DfE) Regional Director Lead Lucy Livings, and South Gloucestershire Council Co-Leader and Cabinet Member for Education Cllr Ian Boulton. We also took the opportunity to raise the long-term challenge with school funding in South Glos for years now, which has been heard by the Minister.
I am pleased that overall school funding has increased by over £3.7 billion this year, totalling £65.3 billion, compared with £61.6 billion last year. This is set to rise by a further £4.2 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. This additional funding will take per-pupil funding to its highest ever level, 8.7% higher in real terms than in the 2010/11 financial year.
School buildings are integral to ensuring high standards, and they must be fit for children now and in the future. I welcome our Labour Government’s announcement of almost £20 billion of investment for the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35 to rebuild schools crumbling around our children. This programme is delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England, including Patchway Community School in our constituency. Having visited the school and met with teachers and pupils, I know this will make a real difference and am glad to have pushed for this.
Additionally, at the Spending Review, £31 billion of capital funding was announced for the education estate from 2026/27 to 2029/30. A further 250 schools will be selected within the next two years.
The Condition Improvement Fund provides essential maintenance fixes, and I welcome that £20.6 million has been allocated from this fund for schools in South West for the current financial year.
I also welcome the Department for Education’s full acceptance of the independent STRB recommendations for 2025/26, implementing a 4% pay award for school teachers and leaders since September. This means school teachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% since our new Labour Government took office, and over 22% over the last four years. The average teacher can now expect a salary of over £51,000, helping to retain talented teachers and deliver high standards for children.
More widely, our Labour Government is also working hard to fix our broken SEND system. Having experienced how challenging it was to try to get the right education for my sister, who has quite significant needs, along with wider support outside of school and now into her adult life, I have some personal experience of this too and am determined to do all I can to help improve this. I know the status quo cannot continue.
As you may be aware, the Department for Education has said it plans to publish a Schools White Paper shortly looking at much-needed SEND reform. Locally, I ran a specific ‘Coffee with Claire’ event a few months ago, bringing together parents and carers of children with SEND needs to consider what improved SEND support could look like. I also ran an online survey to capture as many views as possible across our community. Bringing these invaluable insights together, I collated and shared these with the Education Secretary to make sure local voices are heard in the Schools White Paper. In case of interest, you can read my letter here.
I’m proud that our Labour Government is treating this issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves and has designated £740 million in capital funding for high needs provision in 2025-26, including £4,837,054.12 to South Gloucestershire.
In its first year, the government has committed £740 million to create 10,000 new specialist places in mainstream schools. With only one in ten schools currently offering specialist provision, this funding will help expand and adapt facilities so more pupils can have their needs met in inclusive environments. It’s estimated that at least 15,000 children and young people will benefit.
I also welcome the £22 million investment in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which brings health and education specialists into primary schools to help staff better support neurodivergent children. The programme is being evaluated to inform future policy, and I’m grateful to the local schools taking part in this. I have been in touch with them all to seek their insights and best practice, which I will also share directly with the Education Secretary to make sure local voices are always heard.
Alongside this, Labour’s £1 billion boost to high needs budgets and the rollout of new Best Start Family Hubs will ensure families get the early support they need, building a stronger foundation for every child. This funding will lead to the opening of 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across the country by April 2026 to provide wide-ranging help for families, such as parenting and early development – including £154,823 in South Gloucestershire. These will as a one stop shop for parents seeking a range of support, including on difficulty breastfeeding, housing issues or children’s early development and language, reassuring families that they have convenient access to support in their local area or can be efficiently connected to specialist local services.
More widely, I am pleased that in the 2025 Budget Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that Labour will scrap the two-child benefit cap, which could lift 1,640 children out of poverty here in Filton and Bradley Stoke and 450,000 nationally.
Combined with expanded free school meals for around 3,610 local children, free breakfast clubs in schools, and 30 hours of government-funded childcare, this Budget delivers real support for families. This Parliament is now set to see the largest fall in child poverty on record.
That doesn’t just happen – it is a political choice and only possible thanks to everyone who voted for change with Labour in 2024.