In England, a wide range of public services are underfunded, from mental health services and social care to youth services and local councils. However, funding for schools is increasing; as the IFS reports, funding per pupil is due to grow by 3.8%, levels unseen since 2009–2010.
Just as the formative childhood experiences from climbing frames to garden toys, play a crucial role in shaping young minds, so too does the role of structured education. As such, any improvements and budget increases can only serve to improve the quality of education for your children.
But which of the local authorities in England have benefitted the most from this increase in funding?
Well, the experts at Outdoor Toys have analysed a wealth of data to reveal which English local authorities provide the best educational experience. In the index below, we looked at which local authorities have the schools with the most funding per pupil, the most teaching assistants per teacher, the fewest pupils per school, and much more.
The local authority with the best educational experience
A* education score: 7.88/10
Lancashire is the local authority offering the best educational experience in England, with an A* education score of 7.88 out of 10. This high score comes after massive school investments in the area. Lancashire schools received £1.2 million in school funding during the 2022/23 school year, around £300,000 more than the previous two years. Lancashire schools also received a £14 million government grant to improve and modernise schools in the area.
The local authority ranked in the top 10 for the overall number of pupils in the area (177,255) and qualified teachers (9,603). It also ranked within the top 20 for local authorities with the fewest students per school (282), the fewest vacancies per school (0.05) and the most school funding received per pupil (£5,019).
A* education score: 7.30/10
In second place is the local authority of Durham, which has an A* education score of 7.30 out of 10. Durham ranked within the top 30 for local authorities, with the most pupils (72,903) and qualified teachers (4,094) in the area.
Durham ranked in the top 20 among local authorities for the fewest pupils per school, with 276. It also tied in 28th for the local authorities with the fewest teaching vacancies per school (0.06) and 26th for the fewest pupils per teacher (17.8).
A* education score: 7.12/10
The London borough of Islington rounds out England's top three local authorities with the best educational experience, scoring 7.12 out of 10.
Islington ranked in the top 10 for local authorities with the most funding received per pupil (£6,820), the fewest teaching vacancies per school (0.01), the fewest pupils per teacher (16.8) and the most expenditure per capita (£6,679).
The local authority with the most “outstanding” schools - London tops the list
Schools rated as "outstanding": 100.0%
The City of London is in first place for local authorities with the highest percentage of schools with an Ofsted rating of “outstanding.” As of December 2023, the historic financial district and London local authority had just one school within its area, which received an outstanding grade from Ofsted. The school in question is the Central Foundation Boys’ School, a secondary and 16-18 school.
Schools rated as "outstanding": 47.5%
Kensington and Chelsea, a London borough with royal status, comes in second place. As of December 2023, almost half (47.5%) of this London borough's open schools received an “outstanding” grade from Ofsted.
Schools rated as "outstanding": 43.3%
In third place is another London borough, Richmond upon Thames, the only borough on both sides of the Thames. According to the latest Ofsted reports, almost half (43.3%) of this local authority’s schools were rewarded an “outstanding” grade. Richmond has often been among the top areas in England for OFTSED reports, ranking fifth in 2021 for “outstanding” schools and second for “outstanding” primary schools.
London local authorities have the highest school spending per capita
Per capita net planned expenditure: £7.18K
Despite only having one school, the City of London is the local authority with the highest planned school expenditure per capita. Throughout 2024, the City of London plans to spend around £2.7 million on its one school. Although this is the lowest among local authorities in England, when calculated per capita, its planned spend of £7,176 ranks it at the top. This covers free school meals, library services, and school improvement.
Per capita net planned expenditure: £7.16K
Another London borough, Tower Hamlets, is second for schools with the highest expenditures. Over the 2023/24 financial year, Tower Hamlets intends to spend around £7,155 per capita on improving and operating its schools. A 2023 study has highlighted that London schools get around 9.7% more funding than schools in the North of England.
Per capita net planned expenditure: £7.00K
And rounding out the top three local authorities with the highest school expenditure, we have the London borough of Hackney. The planned spending for the current financial year is £7,002 across each school in the area.
The local authority with the most pupils
Number of FTE pupils: 251,113
Kent is the English local authority with the highest number of full-time equivalent pupils as of the 2023/24 school year. There are 251,113 pupils across all areas, or a quarter of a million.
Number of FTE pupils: 222,847
Essex is second among local authorities with the most pupils, with 222,847 full-time equivalent pupils as of the 2023/24 school year.
Number of FTE pupils: 205,017
Birmingham takes third place among local authorities in England, with the highest number of full-time equivalent pupils, 205,017, in the most recent school year.
The local authority with the most qualified teachers
Number of FTE qualified teachers: 13,594
Being the English local authority with the most pupils, Kent also comes out on top with the most full-time equivalent teachers, with 13,594 as of the current school year.
Number of FTE qualified teachers: 11,253
Birmingham is second among local authorities with the most full-time equivalent teachers, with 11,253 as of the 2023/24 school year. This local authority also had the third-highest number of pupils.
Number of FTE qualified teachers: 11,156
Having ranked second for local authorities with the most pupils, Essex rounds out the top three English areas with the most full-time equivalent teachers, with 11,156 for the current school year.
The local authority with the most teaching assistants per teacher
Number of teaching assistants per teacher: 1.29
The City of London takes first place for the local authorities with the most teaching assistants per teacher. As of the 2023/24 school year, there are currently 1.29 teaching assistants for every teacher employed at the school in the area. Having a higher number of teaching assistants per teacher can lead to a higher quality of education. This increase in education quality is because there is more room for pupils to get individual support.
Number of teaching assistants per teacher: 0.89
The English local authority with the second-highest number of teaching assistants per teacher is Rochdale, a town in Greater Manchester. As of the current teaching year, there are 0.89 teaching assistants per teaching, just under a 1:1 ratio. Rochdale also has around 427 pupils per school, making it one of the local authorities with a higher pupil density. This density means extra support for teachers in the form of teaching assistants will only benefit delivering high-quality education.
Number of teaching assistants per teacher: 0.84
Salford, also in Greater Manchester, is in third place for local authorities with the highest number of teaching assistants per teacher. As of the 2023/24 school year, there were 0.84 teaching assistants for every teacher employed in Salford.
The local authority with the best pupil-to-teacher ratio
Number of pupils per teacher: 15.5
The Royal London borough of Kensington and Chelsea is the local authority with the best pupil-to-teacher ratio. There were 15.5 pupils per teacher for the current school year, which is lower than the average of 20.8 for nurseries and primary schools and 16.8 for secondary schools.
Number of pupils per teacher: 15.7
Another London borough, Westminster, is second for local authorities with the fewest pupils per teacher. Across nurseries, primary, and secondary schools, the borough has 15.7 pupils per teacher.
Number of pupils per teacher: 16.2
Camden, another London borough, takes third place with 16.2 pupils per teacher for the current school year. Again, this is lower than the English average for nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools.
The local authority with the fewest pupils per school
Number of pupils per school: 206
In first place for local authorities with the least crowded schools, we have Westmorland and Furness, located in Cumbria near the Lake District. For the 2023/24 school year, there were 206 pupils per school, much lower than the national average of 276 for primary schools.
Number of pupils per school: 228
North Yorkshire takes second place, with 358 schools and 81,562 pupils. For the 2023/24 school year, the area had 228 pupils per school.
Number of pupils per school: 229
To finish in the top three, we have Cumberland, which has 229 pupils per school for the current school year. This figure is likely attributable to the area's lower population density.
The local authority with the fewest teaching vacancies per school
Number of teaching vacancies per school: 0
The City of London takes first place among local authorities with the fewest teaching vacancies per school. For the current school year, there are zero teaching vacancies in the London borough, which has just one school.
Number of teaching vacancies per school: 0.01
North Tyneside and the London borough of Islington are tied for second place. These areas have 78 and 68 schools, respectively, with just one vacancy available for both regions. There are 0.01 teaching vacancies per school for the current school year.
Number of teaching vacancies per school: 0.02
Also tied, Rochdale and Cumberland have 89 and 172 schools, respectively. There are just four teaching vacancies in Cumberland and two available in Rochdale, meaning there are just 0.02 teaching vacancies per school for both local authorities.
The local authority with the most school funding received per pupil
Total funding received per pupil: £11.1K
Again, the City of London has received the most funding per pupil. Only having 244 school pupils, this regional authority has received £2.7 million in school funding, the lowest of any local authority, which is £11,100 per pupil.
Total funding received per pupil: £9.0K
Second, the London borough of Camden has just under 21,000 pupils across its schools and has received a total of £188.3 million in funding. This funding works out to £9,000 per pupil, rounded to the nearest hundred.
Total funding received per pupil: £7.1K
Third place brings us another London borough: Tower Hamlets has received a total of £319.6 million in school funding for the current year. With 44,790 pupils, this works out to £7,100 per pupil, rounded to the nearest hundred pounds.
The local authority with the highest percentage of pupils meeting standards
KS2 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths: 76%
The City of London is again at the top among local authorities, with the highest percentage of key-stage two pupils meeting expected education standards. For the 2022/23 school year, just over three-quarters (76%) of pupils met the anticipated reading, writing, and maths standards.
KS2 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths: 74%
In second place, there is a three-way tie between the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Richmond upon Thames. In these three London boroughs, 74% of pupils meet the expected reading, writing, and maths standards.
KS2 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths: 71%
Third place is Newham, where 71% of key-stage two pupils meet the expected reading, writing, and maths standards for the 2022/23 school year.
Methodology
We used “State-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 December 2023 to collect the percentage of schools graded “outstanding” by Ofsted.
We then used the Department for Education Planned LA and school expenditure to get the planned school expenditure for each of the local authorities in England per capita. We also sourced the amount of school funding each local authority received, which we calculated per pupil using the data below. This data was taken for the 2023/24 school year.
Using the Department for Education School workforce in England, we sourced the number of FTE pupils, the number of FTE qualified teachers, the number of FTE teaching assistants, the number of schools, and the number of teaching vacancies. We then used this data to calculate the number of pupils per teacher, the number of teaching assistants per teacher, the number of pupils per school, and the number of teaching vacancies per school. This data was taken for the 2023/24 school year.
We then used the Department for Education Key stage 2 attainment to record the percentage of KS2 pupils meeting expected reading, writing and maths standards for the 2022/23 school year, the most recently available data.
We then used all the above factors to create a normalised score out of 10 for each local authority to reveal which provides the best education experience.