Delayed indicative funding allocations for schools will be published “shortly”, the education secretary has said, partly blaming June’s spending review for the hold-up. Bridget Phillipson said the Department for Education had received 鈥渁 number of requests for clarification鈥� on when it would release provisional national funding formula guidance and allocations for mainstream schools and councils for 2026-27. For many years, this information was . Last year’s publication was the end of November because of the election and then Labour’s first autumn budget. This year, the government is partly blaming the June spending review for the hold-up. In a Phillipson said the information had been delayed 鈥渇rom the usual timetable due to the timing of the spending review, and the need to ensure that rigorous quality assurance processes have been completed in full鈥�. She added that finalisation of the national funding formulae is being 鈥減ursued as a matter of urgency鈥�. 鈥淥ur priority will be to publish in the schools NFF shortly, in order to allow local authorities to proceed with preparation of their local schools formulae.鈥� Julia Harnden, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 鈥淭he delay is disappointing as schools need this information to plan next year’s budget, which for LA maintained schools starts in April.聽 “We hope that the provisional funding allocations will be published as soon as possible, and that the government will commit to returning to a July timetable going forward.鈥� The spending review confirmed per-pupil funding would rise by around 1 per cent in real terms each year. In 2023, the DfE officials made an error in school funding allocations, which meant schools had 拢370 million less than promised.