Funding
The following section examines the different sources through which funding can be received for provision of additional school places such as grant through the DfE, or by requesting contributions from new housing developments.
Basic Need Grant funding
Capital allocations to meet projected shortfalls in provision are provided by the DfE to all local authorities based on the data provided in the annual School Capacity return (SCAP). The level of funding is determined by the demand for school places in the city.
In Spring 2025 there was a 2-year basic need allocation. This allocation totalled £97,657,978 across the 2-year settlement and was the highest allocation in the Country.
| Year of allocation | £ |
|---|---|
| Basic need funding received up to 2025 to 2026 entry | £82,724,761 |
| 2026 to 2027 entry (announced Spring 2025) | £59,755,756 |
| 2027 to 2028 entry (announced Spring 2025) | £37,902,222 |
| Grand total | £180,382,739 |
Early Years Capital Funding
CCC received £530,241 Childcare Expansion Capital Grant funding in year 2023 to 2024 from the DFE to support the reforms to childcare including the introduction of 15 and 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months from April 2024.
CCC has allocated this funding to 9 providers which includes Private Voluntary and Independent (PVI) childcare providers, childminders and schools to develop expanded entitlement and wraparound places. The grant agreements are currently being finalised before the funds are distributed to the providers in line with the recommendations made in the most recent Childcare Sufficiency Assessment.
In addition, in October 2024 the DfE launched the school-based Nursery Capital Grant for 2024 to 2025. This grant allowed state-funded primary-phase schools in England to apply for up to £150,000 in capital funding to create or expand nursery provision. Stoke Primary School has been successful in being allocated this funding.
Special Provision Fund and High Needs Fund (2018 to 2025)
In October 2021 the government announced that it was supporting local authorities with High Needs Capital Funding, as a continuation of Special Provision Fund, to enable Local Authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND).
The financial allocation for 2025 was announced in March 2025 and formed part of the national £740 million of capital investment in 2025 to 2026, to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision (AP) as part of the broader capital settlement.
In March 2025 CCC received an allocation of £5,160,168. In total CCC has received £30,517,548 in funding over the past 6 years, including the 2025 to 2026 allocation.
Section 106 (S106) funding / Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding
There is an expectation that when the predicted impact of a new housing development creates a shortfall of places this will be funded through S106 contributions towards the following: providing additional education provision, expansion of existing schools, opening of new schools. The DfE expect the infrastructure required because of housing developments to be mitigated by S106 funding/CIL funding.
The Coventry Local Plan 2011 to 2031 which is estimated to lead to over 13,200 additional children across all age ranges has followed a period of public examination and consultation on proposed modifications. There are also significant numbers of housing developments receiving planning outside the Local Plan process, which have already impacted on local schools. CCC do not request developer contributions on one-bedroom dwellings as they are unlikely to generate school pupils.
Where a housing development yields significant numbers of pupils and justifies new provision it may be necessary to secure land. The land would be used for education purposes to safeguard CCC’s statutory responsibility to provide sufficient school places. Contributions are requested fairly based on their proximity to the development. All education types are considered and some rounding within the pupil yield calculation may see an additional place be requested when rounded up to the nearest whole pupil place2.
The pupil yield figure is reviewed and updated to reflect the true cost of creating additional school places with consideration to the rising cost of inflation. CCC figures are set as below:
| Education setting |
Pupils generated: per 1 eligible dwelling |
Pupils generated: per 100 eligible dwelling |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 0.4 | 40 |
| Secondary | 0.33 | 33 |
| Sixth form | 0.04 | 4 |
| Primary SEND | 0.02 | 2 |
| Secondary SEND | 0.02 | 2 |
| Early Years | 0.08 | 8 |
The pupil yield methodology for how these figures have been calculated is included in appendix 23.
Other funding sources
- Centrally funded new schools via the Government’s Free School programme
- Capital Receipts – the sale of former education settings deemed surplus to requirements can be ring fenced to education in exceptional circumstances
- Capital contributions from individual school budgets and/or bids by Academies for ‘Capital Infrastructure Funding’ (CIF)
- Capital funding allocations for ‘Voluntary Aided’ schools (LCVAP funding)
2 The methodology for the pupil yield calculation is included in appendix 3.
3 These figures have been rounded to 2 decimal places. Rounding is to 2 decimal places and across multiple formula, so this in turn can add an additional pupil once these rounding’s are factored into the nearest whole pupil place.
