The Liberal Democrats’ new schools policies will likely cost in excess of £9 billion, Schools Week analysis has found, with no plan announced yet for how they will be funded.
It is 50 per cent more than the £6 billion the party earlier this week estimated its plans would cost.
About a third of the spend is likely be on repairing school buildings. The party has pledged to bridge the gap between the government’s current spending and what’s needed. According to the National Audit Office, that’s £3 billion a year.
Some proposals have been costed individually, such as £390 million for tutoring, at least £450 million to extend free school meals to all families on universal credit, £620 million for a mental health professional in every school and £1.2 billion to halve the amount schools pay towards SEND support.
