The Department informed Local Authorities and academy trusts of the republished schools National Funding Formula (NFF) on 6 October 2023, alongside the publication of the corrected NFF allocations. In the initial NFF calculations for 2024-2025, there was an error processing forecast pupil numbers, which meant that the overall cost of the core schools budget using the announced schools NFF arrangements would be 0.62% greater than allocated. The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the error made by officials and has written to both the Secretary of State and the Education Select Committee to apologise.<\/p>
Since identifying the error, officials have reviewed other funding models to confirm that a similar issue has not occurred elsewhere. The Secretary of State has asked the Department's Permanent Secretary to conduct an independent and external review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the NFF. This will provide external and independent scrutiny and will be led by Peter Wyman CBE. Officials will ensure that any recommendations from the review are applied to other allocation calculations done by the Department, not just the schools NFF.<\/p>
The schools NFF calculations are mainly performed using R and RStudio. R is an open source programming language which is widely used for data analysis and processing across the public and private sectors, and RStudio is an open source development environment for using R.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "202596"} , {"_value" : "202597"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-25T15:59:27.237Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, for what reason was there a miscalculation in the total amount of funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202588"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664896", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664896/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Secretary of State for Education has asked the Department\u2019s Permanent Secretary to conduct a formal review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the schools National Funding Formula figures. This will provide external and independent scrutiny. Peter Wyman CBE will lead this review, and will be supported in his work by an expert panel drawn from outside the Department. The timing and terms of reference of the review have yet to be finalised, but the expectation is that it will conclude before Christmas.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-19T14:51:16.007Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, what is the (a) scope and (b) terms of reference for the internal review into the miscalculation in the total amount of funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year; and when will the review conclude.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202590"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664897", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664897/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the error made by officials and has written to both the Secretary of State and the Education Select Committee to apologise.<\/p>
The Secretary of State has asked the Department\u2019s Permanent Secretary to conduct a formal review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the schools national funding formula (NFF) figures. Peter Wyman CBE, the chair of the board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, will lead this process, and he will be supported in his work by an expert panel drawn from outside the Department. This is not an internal review; it will provide external and independent scrutiny. As such, the Department does not plan to also invite the National Audit Office to investigate the schools NFF calculation error. The findings and recommendations of the review will be made public.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "202592"} , {"_value" : "202594"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-24T14:40:57.327Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, whether she plans to publish the findings of her Department's internal review into the miscalculation in the total amount of funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202591"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664898", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664898/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the error made by officials and has written to both the Secretary of State and the Education Select Committee to apologise.<\/p>
The Secretary of State has asked the Department\u2019s Permanent Secretary to conduct a formal review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the schools national funding formula (NFF) figures. Peter Wyman CBE, the chair of the board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, will lead this process, and he will be supported in his work by an expert panel drawn from outside the Department. This is not an internal review; it will provide external and independent scrutiny. As such, the Department does not plan to also invite the National Audit Office to investigate the schools NFF calculation error. The findings and recommendations of the review will be made public.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "202591"} , {"_value" : "202594"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-24T14:40:57.36Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, for what reason did she not announce an external review into the miscalculation in the total amount of funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202592"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664900", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664900/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the error made by officials and has written to both the Secretary of State and the Education Select Committee to apologise.<\/p>
The Secretary of State has asked the Department\u2019s Permanent Secretary to conduct a formal review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the schools national funding formula (NFF) figures. Peter Wyman CBE, the chair of the board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, will lead this process, and he will be supported in his work by an expert panel drawn from outside the Department. This is not an internal review; it will provide external and independent scrutiny. As such, the Department does not plan to also invite the National Audit Office to investigate the schools NFF calculation error. The findings and recommendations of the review will be made public.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "202591"} , {"_value" : "202592"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-24T14:40:57.393Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, whether she will invite the Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office to review the miscalculation in the total amount of funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202594"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664902", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1664902/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department informed Local Authorities and academy trusts of the republished schools National Funding Formula (NFF) on 6 October 2023, alongside the publication of the corrected NFF allocations. In the initial NFF calculations for 2024-2025, there was an error processing forecast pupil numbers, which meant that the overall cost of the core schools budget using the announced schools NFF arrangements would be 0.62% greater than allocated. The Permanent Secretary has taken full responsibility for the error made by officials and has written to both the Secretary of State and the Education Select Committee to apologise.<\/p>
Since identifying the error, officials have reviewed other funding models to confirm that a similar issue has not occurred elsewhere. The Secretary of State has asked the Department's Permanent Secretary to conduct an independent and external review of the quality assurance process surrounding the calculation of the NFF. This will provide external and independent scrutiny and will be led by Peter Wyman CBE. Officials will ensure that any recommendations from the review are applied to other allocation calculations done by the Department, not just the schools NFF.<\/p>
The schools NFF calculations are mainly performed using R and RStudio. R is an open source programming language which is widely used for data analysis and processing across the public and private sectors, and RStudio is an open source development environment for using R.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "202588"} , {"_value" : "202597"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-25T15:59:27.283Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from Susan Acland-Hood to the Chair of the Education Select Committee on National Funding Formula Update, published on 6 October 2023, what software her Department used to originally calculate the total funding allocated to schools for the 2024-25 financial year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "202596"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1663121", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1663121/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.\u200b<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "200972"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-26T11:30:46.247Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the level of free childcare entitlement announced in the Spring Budget 2023 on (a) maintenance and (b) other school capital budget requirements for the next 10 years; whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor on this issue; and if she will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "200975"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1563589", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1563589/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Department officials and Ministers continue to meet regularly with education and childcare sector leaders, unions and other representative bodies to discuss a wide range of early years, school, further education and higher education policy issues.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-01-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "114708"} , {"_value" : "114712"} , {"_value" : "114714"} , {"_value" : "114715"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-01-11T09:54:20.91Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-12-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will hold discussions with head teachers on the financial needs of schools before the Budget on 15 March.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "114710"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1506542", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1506542/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department continues to speak to a range of organisations representing Head Teachers and directly to Head Teachers themselves. Discussions have included school funding and build on the regular engagement the Department has already had.<\/p>
Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream and high needs schools, is increasing by £4 billion in 2022/23 financial year compared to 2021/22. This brings the total core schools budget to £53.8 billion. This means the total funding allocated to schools and high needs seeing a 7% cash terms per pupil increase in the 2022/23 financial year compared to the previous financial year.<\/p>
On 21 September 2022, the Government set out how businesses and public sector organisations, including schools, will be supported by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This will reduce how much schools need to spend on their energy, and give schools greater certainty over their budgets over the winter months.<\/p>
Any school which has signed a fixed energy contract since April 2022 will be eligible for support if, at the time they signed their contact, wholesale prices for the next six months were expected to be higher than the Government-supported price of £211/MWh for electricity, and £75/MWh for gas.<\/p>
For example, a school which uses 10 MWh of electricity and 22 MWh of gas a month and signed a fixed contract giving them a current monthly energy bill of about £10,000, would receive support based on the difference between expected wholesale prices when they signed their contract and the Government-supported price. For a contract signed in July 2022, this could be worth £240/MWh for electricity and £70/MWh for gas, meaning the school receives a discount of £4,000 per month, reducing their original bill by 40%.<\/p>
Support will also be available to schools on variable, deemed and other contracts.<\/p>
The details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4814", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jonathan Gullis"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stoke-on-Trent North"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jonathan Gullis"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-10-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-10-17T16:35:34.417Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-09-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with school leaders on the adequacy of levels of school budgets in autumn 2022.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"}
], "uin" : "51616"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1420349", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1420349/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The department pays close attention to the financial health of the sector, analysing maintained schools\u2019 consistent financial reporting returns and academies\u2019 accounting returns. The latest published figures show both maintained schools and academy trusts have on average been able to add to their reserves in the latest reporting year.<\/p> The schools financial benchmarking website allows schools and trusts to compare their financial data with other schools that share similar characteristics, including similar levels of free school meal (FSM) eligibility. The website is available here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/<\/a>.<\/p>