Section 251: 2021 to 2022
Information for local authorities, schools and the general public about local authority education funding and expenditure plans for 2021 to 2022.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Introduction
Section 251 is part of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.
Local authorities submit statements of planned and actual expenditure on education and children’s social care.
The Department for Education uses the data for publishing statistics, constructing benchmarking tables, answering parliamentary questions and responding to other data requests.
Comparing information is important for schools forums and others in discussions about budget levels and use of funds.
Section 251 budget guidance
Read the section 251 budget guidance to find out how local authorities record their budget statements.
Use the section 251 XML generator to provide details of actual expenditure for your schools.
The administrative direction is a formal request for the collection of section 251 data. It’s prepared on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education.
Budget data
The section 251 budget statements are the primary means of informing schools and the public about local authority spending plans.
The budget data is published on Explore education statistics, the Department for Education’s official statistics dissemination platform.
You can download all of the underlying data used in the publication in the ‘explore data and files’ section, by selecting ‘download all files’.
You can download individual files by selecting ‘Browse data files’.
Benchmarking data
The benchmarking tables of planned expenditure are drawn from the published section 251 budget statements for the 2021 to 2022 financial year and are primarily aimed at schools forums and local authorities.
The following tables give detailed information on each local authority’s planned expenditure on education in a form which enables comparison between local authorities.
shows section 251 net budget data on a per capita (per pupil or per head of population) basis, to enable easy comparison between local authorities
shows section 251 gross budget data on a per capita (per pupil or per head of population) basis, to enable easy comparison between local authorities
shows the pupil and population numbers used to calculate the “per capita” figures used in the other tables
shows year on year changes in selected items of planned spending to enable easy comparison across financial years
shows additional information on planned expenditure, including dedicated schools grant allocations and the percentages of schools with minimum funding guarantee
and provide information on how to use the local authority benchmarking data.
Section 251 outturn
Read the section 251 outturn guidance 2021 to 2022 to find out how to complete the outturn statement.
Use the section 251 outturn XML generator to provide details of actual expenditure for your schools.
Please note, this file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. If you require this file in a different format, contact ESFA.GOVUK-ENQUIRIES@education.gov.uk.
The outturn administrative direction is the formal request prepared on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education.
Last updated 6 July 2022 + show all updates
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Updated to include the section 251 outturn statement guidance, section 251 outturn XML generator and administrative direction letter for the outturn statement for 2021 to 2022.
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Update to include budget data section
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Update to the Section 251 benchmarking data, and additional information
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Added to the descriptions of what should be included in lines 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 of section 251 budget guidance for 2021 to 2022
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First published.