Falling pupil numbers will cost primary schools £288 million. EdTech budgets will feel it first.
The National Audit Office warned last month that 56,300 fewer primary pupils in 2027 means a £288 million drop in per-pupil funding. Technology budgets, which carry no statutory protection, are among the most exposed.
By Wistl Newsroom · · Schools
The National Audit Office published its report on falling primary school rolls on 22 April, finding that demand for primary places had fallen by three per cent between 2018 to 2019 and 2024 to 2025, with a further seven per cent drop projected by 2030. Unfilled places rose from 10 per cent to 14 per cent over the same period. Because the majority of school funding is tied to pupil numbers, the NAO estimated that a projected reduction of 56,300 primary pupils in 2027 compared with 2026 would mean schools receiving £288 million less in per-pupil funding. By 2028, with 80,200 fewer pupils forecas