Blackburn with Darwen Council has welcomed an increase in funding for school pupils in this academic year.

Department for Education figures show schools in Blackburn with Darwen will have an average budget of £5,758 per pupil in the 2024-25 financial year – an increase of eight per cent from £5,350 the previous year.

The total budget for schools across England has risen by a tenth since the previous year, reaching £63bn.

Julie Gunn, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive member for children, young people, and education, said: “As a local authority, we work closely with all our education providers and know they would welcome any increase in funding that helps them to continue to provide a high-quality education for all pupils.

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“School leaders have always had to carefully manage their budgets and part of this process is making appropriate choices whilst always ensuring they provide a good curriculum, strong teaching, and learning experiences alongside any enrichment opportunities available.”

Funding has also increased across the rest of Lancashire, with an 11 per cent budget increase per child – rising from £5,866 to £5,286.

A Lancashire County Council spokesperson said the increase was welcome and that while some schools remain under pressure financially, they will continue to support them.

They said: “We welcome the increase in funding this year for schools in Lancashire, including more funding for high-need places, which provide educational support to children who cannot attend mainstream schools due to exclusion, illness, or other reasons.

“We know that schools are still under significant pressures related to the cost of living and demand for specialist support, and we will continue to work with our schools during these challenging times.”

In Lancashire, £5m has been allocated to special education needs support, an increase from £4.9m the previous year.

The funding covers services for visual, hearing, and physical impairment, specific learning difficulties such as speech, language, and communication, as well as severe learning difficulties and autism.

In Blackburn with Darwen, this has dropped to £5.4m from £6.5m the previous year.

Despite this, the council said those pupils are well-supported but any increase in funding would be “extremely beneficial.”

Ms Gunn continued: “Children and young people with SEND in Blackburn with Darwen, are well supported in both mainstream and special schools. As a local authority, we ensure that we provide effective support, advice, and guidance to schools across all areas.

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“We support our SEND pupils through the use of the High Needs funding but know that any increase in this funding would be extremely beneficial in continuing to ensure children and young people with SEND achieve good outcomes.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "This Government is putting education back at the heart of national life, and is mission-driven to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, at every stage.

"Departmental expenditure limits for 2025-26 are to be set alongside the Budget on 30 October – and that will include setting the overall level of funding for schools next year.

"Measures such as ending tax breaks on private schools will raise revenue for essential public services, so that every child has access to high-quality education."