School finance

Herefordshire is one of the lowest funded local authorities in England for education and the gap between the highest and lowest funded schools continues to widen.

The formula that the government uses to calculate the amount that the authority should receive for each pupil is dependent upon a number of factors designed to take into account local costs and levels of need. However, other significant additional costs are not considered, such as the cost of transporting pupils across our rural county. The funding formula is therefore not comprehensive and means our pupils and education services do not have access to fair levels of funding.

Working with other local authorities, Herefordshire Council is part of a campaign to persuade the government to tackle the inequalities in funding for schools and end the postcode lottery that affects the young people of our county.

We are a supporter of f40, a national campaign group representing the lowest funded education authorities in England.

Herefordshire schools forum

Each local authority is required by law to establish a schools forum to consider matters relating to funding for schools and settings. The forum acts as a consultative body on some issues and a decision making body on others.

View more information and Committee details for Herefordshire schools forum