This Government believes that all children should have an education that unlocks their potential and allows them to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them. That is key to improving social mobility. We have made significant progress: nine out of ten schools are now good or outstanding, and the attainment gap is beginning to close. We have launched twelve opportunity areas to drive improvement in parts of the country which we know can do better. But all this has been against a backdrop of unfair funding. We know that the current funding system is unfair, opaque and out of date – and this means that, whilst we hold schools to the same accountability structure whatever they are, we fund them at very different levels. In addition, resources are not reaching the schools that need them most.

School funding is at a record high. Ensuring that school funding is both adequate and fairly distributed is clearly an issue of great importance to people across England and today I am confirming our plans to get on with introducing a national funding formula in 2018-19. I can announce that this will additionally now be supported by significant extra investment into the core schools budget over the next two years. The additional funding I am setting out today, together with the introduction of a national funding formula, will provide schools with the investment they need to offer a world-class education to every child.

There will therefore be an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. This funding is across the next two years as we transition to the NFF. Spending plans for years beyond 2019-20 will be set out in a future Spending Review.

But as a result of this investment, core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19. In 2019-20 this will rise again to £43.5 billion. This represents £1.3 billion in additional investment: £416 million more than was set aside at the last spending review for the core school budget in 2018-19, and £884 million more in 2019-20. It will mean that the total schools budget will increase by £2.6 billion between this year and 2019-20, and per pupil funding will now be maintained in real terms for the remaining two years of the Spending Review period to 2019-20.

For this Government, social mobility and education are a priority. Introducing the national funding formula – something shied away from by previous Governments – backed by the additional investment in schools we are confirming today, will be the biggest improvement to the school funding system for well over a decade. I said when I launched the consultation last December that I was keen to hear as many views as possible on this vital, long standing reform. I’m grateful for the engagement on the issue of fairer funding and the national funding formula. We received more than 25,000 responses to our consultation, including from members from across the House. We have listened carefully to the feedback we have received.

We will respond to the consultation in full in September, but I can today tell the House that the additional investment we are able to make in our schools will allow us to do several things, including:

• Increase the basic amount that every pupil will attract in 2018-19 and 2019-20;

• For the next two years, provide for up to 3% gains a year per pupil for underfunded schools, and a 0.5% a year per pupil cash increase for every school;

• Continue to protect funding for pupils with additional needs, as we proposed in December.

Given this additional investment, we are able to increase the percentage allocated to pupil led factors, something I know our honourable members were keen to see happen, and this formula settlement to 2019-20 will provide at least £4,800 per pupil for every secondary school, something which I know Members in some areas will welcome in particular.

The national funding formula will therefore deliver higher per pupil funding in respect of every school, and in every local area. I believe that these changes, building on the proposals that we set out in December, will provide a firm foundation as we make historic reforms to the funding system, balancing fairness and stability for schools. It remains our intention that a school’s budget should be set on the basis of a single, national formula, but a longer transition does make sense to provide stability for schools. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, the national funding formula will set indicative budgets for each school, and the total schools funding received by each local authority will be allocated according to our national fair funding formula and transparently for the first time.

Local authorities will then continue to set a local formula, as they do now, for determining individual schools’ budgets in 2018 19 and 2019-20, in consultation with schools in the area. I will shortly publish the operational guide to allow them to begin that process. To support their planning, I am also confirming now that in 2018 19, all local authorities will receive some increase over the amount they plan to spend on schools and high needs in 2017-18. We will confirm gains for local authorities, based on the final formula, in September.

The guide will set out some important areas that are fundamental to supporting a fairer distribution through the national funding formula. For example, we will ring-fence the vast majority of funding provided for primary and secondary schools although local authorities, in agreement with their local schools forum, will be able to move some limited amounts of funding to other areas, such as special schools, where this better matches local need.

As well as this additional investment through the national funding formula, I am also today confirming our commitment to double the PE and sports premium for primary schools. All primary schools will receive an increase in their PE and sports premium funding in the next academic year.

The £1.3 billion additional investment in core schools funding which I am announcing today will be funded in full from efficiencies and savings I have identified from within my Department’s existing budget, rather than higher taxes or more debt. This of course requires difficult decisions, but I believe it is right to prioritise core schools funding, even as we continue the vital task of repairing the public finances. By making savings and efficiencies, I am maximising the proportion of my Department’s budget which is allocated directly to frontline headteachers – who can then use their professional expertise to ensure that it is spent where it will have the greatest possible impact. I have challenged my civil servants to find efficiencies, as schools are having to.

I want to set out briefly the savings and efficiencies that I will secure:

Efficiencies and savings across our capital budget can release £420 million. The majority of this will be from healthy pupils capital funding – from which we will make savings of £315 million. This reflects reductions in forecast revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. Every pound of England’s share of spending from the levy will continue to be invested in improving child health, including £100 million in 2018-19 for healthy pupils capital.

We remain committed to an ambitious programme that delivers choice, innovation and higher standards for parents. In delivering the programme, and the plans for a further 140 free schools announced at the last Budget, we will work more efficiently to release savings of £280 million up to 2019 20. This will include working more collaboratively with local authorities to provide free schools to meet basic need – so that 30 of the 140 schools are delivered through the local authority route rather than the central free schools route.

Across the DfE resource budget – which is over £60 billion per year – I will also reprioritise £250 million in 2018-19 and £350 million in 2019-20 to fund the increase in core schools budget spending I am announcing today. I will, for example, seek to identify £200m that I can redirect from the Department’s central programmes that support schools on relatively narrow areas of their work. While these projects are useful, I believe strongly that this funding is most valuable in the hands of head teachers.

Finally, alongside this extra investment in our core schools budget, it is vital that school leaders strive to maximise the efficient use of their resources, to achieve the best outcomes for all their pupils and best promote social mobility. We already provide schools with support to do this, but we will now go further to ensure that support is effectively used by schools.

We will continue our commitment to securing substantial efficiency gains over the coming years. Good value National Deals, that procure better value goods and services on areas all schools spend money on and purchase goods in, are available: for example, under the deals, based on our existing work, schools can save on average 10% on their energy bills. We will expect schools to be clear if they do not make use of these deals and have higher costs. Across school spending as a whole, we will improve the transparency and usability of data, so that parents and governors can more easily see the way funding is being spent and understand not just educational standards, but financial effectiveness too. We have just launched a new online efficiency benchmarking service which will enable schools to analyse their own performance much more effectively.

We recognise that many schools have worked hard up to this point to manage cost base pressures on their budgets, and we will take action this year to provide targeted support to those schools where financial health is at risk, deploying efficiency experts to give direct support to these schools.

The significant investment we are making in schools and the reforms we are introducing underpin our ambition for a world-class education system. Together, they will give schools a firm foundation that will enable them to continue to raise standards, promote social mobility, and give every child the best possible education and the best opportunities for the future.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (17 July 2017) confirmed Britain’s new high speed rail lines which will create business opportunities, a boost in jobs and skills and thousands of extra seats on faster trains to Glasgow and Edinburgh from London.

HS2 will give an economic boost to Scotland, with the decision to award £6.6 billion of contracts to build Phase One of HS2 being announced today – supporting 16,000 jobs across the UK. More than 100 Scottish business have already expressed interested in these opportunities and we continue to encourage interested businesses to put bids in.

Scotland will be well served by HS2: Phase One, between London Euston and Birmingham, will see faster trains onward to Glasgow, to under 4 hours. By 2027, and the opening of the expansion of the network to Crewe, the journey between Glasgow and London will be reduced by 45 minutes compared to today. By 2033 journey times between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh will be reduced to around 3 hours and 40 minutes. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said:

Britain’s new railway line will bring huge economic benefits to Scotland and help ensure this government delivers on its promise to spread wealth beyond London and the south-east.

But as well as creating skilled jobs, apprenticeships and business opportunities, it will also mean real day-to-day improvements for passengers.

I am delighted that my announcements today will unlock the full benefits of HS2 to Scotland and the north of England.

The UK and Scottish governments have been working closely with Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to ensure passengers in Scotland benefit from faster and more frequent trains.

UK government Lord Ian Duncan said:

The confirmation of these new routes is fantastic news. HS2 will mean faster journeys for passengers travelling to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow and further afield – and it is a real opportunity for the highly skilled Scottish companies who will be bidding for contracts on this project.

High speed rail will also open up opportunities for Scottish businesses that export goods and services to England and Wales, as they reach their markets faster than ever before.

This is a landmark step in delivering HS2 – and it is good news for Scotland.

In March 2016 HS2 Ltd published a report called Broad options for upgraded and high speed railways to the north of England and Scotland. The report was welcomed by both governments and a joint commitment was made to work with Network Rail to identify suitable options that could further improve journey times, space and reliability on routes between England and Scotland.

We remain on track to open the link from London to Birmingham in 2026, the route to Crewe in 2027 and the route to Leeds in 2033. Preparatory work on Phase 1 has already commenced, with major construction starting next year.

Businesses can win a share of £6 million to work with research organisations or other businesses on commercialising quantum technologies.

The number of children meeting the recommended amount of physical activity for healthy development and to maintain a healthy weight, which is 60 minutes a day, drops by 40% as they move through primary school.

A new survey from Public Health England (PHE) and Disney looking at the effects of physical activity on children’s emotional wellbeing, found:

• being active made the majority of 5 to 11 year olds feel happier (79%), more confident (72%), and more sociable (74%), according to their parents
• nearly all children said they liked being active (93%)
• the main motivations for kids to be more active was having friends to join in (53%) and having more activities they liked to choose from (48%)
• children’s overall happiness declines with age; 64% of 5 and 6 year olds said they always feel happy, compared to just 48% of 11 year olds
• 19% of children said they were less active due to a lack of sports or activities they enjoyed

To help kids do more activity throughout the summer holidays, Change4Life is today launching its national 10 Minute Shake Ups programme with Disney and schools across the country.

The programme offers fun, 10-minute activities for kids, featuring their favourite Disney characters and shows as inspiration. The activities, designed for children to do anywhere in small or large groups with their friends, help children get more of the 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity they need each day for healthy development and to maintain a healthy weight.

Currently, just 23% of boys and 20% of girls meet the national recommended level of activity. Furthermore, 1 in 5 children start primary school overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they leave.

Eustace de Sousa, National Lead for Children, Young People and Families, PHE says:

Children’s physical activity levels in England are alarmingly low, and the drop in activity from the ages of 5 to 12 is concerning. Children who get enough physical activity are mentally and physically healthier, and have all round better development into adulthood – getting into the habit of doing short bursts of activity early can deliver lifelong benefits. This programme is part of our work to help children get the right amount of physical activity, both in school and out, as set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan.

The survey also identified the main barriers to physical activity and reveals that the worry of ‘not being very good’ was one of the most common, affecting 22% of children. This increases with age as it affects just 17% of 5 year olds, compared to 29% of 11 year olds.

The 10 Minute Shake Ups programme focuses on fun activities all children can do and is being supported by a number of Team GB athletes, including Olympic swimmer Keri-anne Payne, who have lent their voices to the campaign to encourage more children to take part and illustrate the benefits of physical activity.

Keri-anne Payne, Olympic marathon swimmer and ambassador of SportsAid, says:

Physical activity has always been an important part of my life, as I started swimming from a very young age. But being active is not just for Olympians, it’s for everyone. The 10 Minute Shake Ups provide a load of fun activities to get kids moving more. Anyone can try them and they are a great way for kids, their friends and the whole family to get moving throughout the summer.

10 Minute Shake Ups is run in collaboration with Disney and Sport England. The new Shake Ups will feature characters from Disney Pixar’s latest animation Cars 3, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Moana, Frozen Fever, and Zootropolis, as well as the stars of The Lodge.

Marianthi O’Dwyer, Vice President and Head of Disney Healthy Living UK says:

We know Disney stories and characters can help inspire children and families to be more active by making it simple and fun. As part of Disney’s global healthy living commitment, since 2006 we have been looking at ways to support families to live more healthily.

Last year’s successful Finding Dory ‘just keep moving’ campaign with the ASA and Change4Life saw over 70,000 families take part in family swim sessions at hundreds of pools across the UK. Highlighting the power of partnership, we are excited to continue working together with Change4Life on the 10 Minute Shake Up programme to encourage children to be more active.

Sport England will help families try new sports and physical activities locally, whether at their local park leisure centre or through a well-known sport.

Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People says:

Tackling inactivity is a key part of Sport England’s strategy Towards An Active Nation, and we’re supporting families and children to get active together, using National Lottery funding. We know that parents can find getting their kids to be active a challenge. That’s why we’re proud to be supporting the Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Ups with Disney, which uses storytelling to create a fun, and imaginative way for children and their parents to get moving, perfectly timed for the summer holidays.

Last year, the 10 Minute Shake Ups programme helped over a million children get more active. When children return to school in September, more activities will be released on the Change4Life schools website to encourage them to carry on being active both in and outside the classroom.

For more information, please search ’10 Minute Shake Ups’ online or visit: www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up.

The opinium survey for Public Health England questioned 1,005 children aged 5 to 11 and 1,004 parents of children aged 5 to 11 in England about their attitudes to physical activity and took place in June 2017.

For further information and interview opportunities please contact: Change4lifepressoffice@freuds.com or by telephone on 020 3003 6415 or 07949 717217.

Interviews are available with:

• Team GB Olympian Keri-anne Payne
• Eustace de Sousa (National Lead for Children, Young People and Families, PHE)
• Professor Paul Cosford (Director for Health Protection and Medical Director, PHE)
• Marianthi O’Dwyer, Vice President and Head of Disney Healthy Living UK
• Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People
• case studies are also available on request

This year’s 10 Minute Shake Ups are focused on exploring new skills and navigating through 6 magical Disney worlds. Worksheets styled as passports and suitcases will be distributed to the primary schools in England. Inspired by key characters from 6 Disney stories, children will be able to ‘stamp’ their passports with stickers every time they do 10 minutes of activity and pack their suitcase with Shake Ups ideas they have developed in class.

Lesson plans for teachers will also be available on the Change4Life School Zone website to get pupils practising and designing their own 10 Minute Shake Ups in school, to help them stay active all through the summer holidays. In the autumn term, more Change4Life lesson plans and activities will be available on the School Zone to keep pupils active throughout the school day.

Change4Life is a campaign run by PHE to help families to eat well, move more and live longer. PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It does this through advocacy, partnerships, world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, and the delivery of specialist public health. Follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk.

Dr Ellie Cannon, GP and author:

Physical activity and participation in sport has been found to be linked to better child emotional and social development, and positive self-esteem which any parent wants for their child. Attitudes to physical activity are ingrained from childhood so participating in physical activity as a family is important.

About Disney’s Healthy Living Commitment

In 2006, The Walt Disney Company made a global commitment to support parents and create healthier families by using its stories and characters to make healthy living simple and fun. Since 2006, Disney has been looking at the different ways it can support families to live more healthily.

This includes introducing robust nutritional guidelines for food and drinks as well as their advertising, offering content that positively focuses on healthier lifestyles such as Disney Channel’s First Class Chefs and Aim High, and inspiring activity and healthier eating through programmes such as Change4Life ’10 Minute Shake Up’ and Disney’s #HealthilyEverAfter marketing campaign.

About The Walt Disney Company UK and Ireland

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $52.5 billion in its last fiscal year, the highest in the company’s history (FY15).

The Walt Disney Company has operated in the UK and Ireland for over 80 years, employing more than 2,900 people, and is dedicated to creating innovative, entertainment experiences for children and families. The Disney brand is experienced in a number of ways across the UK and Ireland including in cinemas, on stage with ‘The Lion King’, on TV screens with Disney-branded channels as well as non-branded content, through a wide range of consumer products that are sold at mass market retailers and in Disney Stores.

In 2008, Disney announced its partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity with a £10 million fundraising pledge towards the hospital’s redevelopment appeal, which it achieved in October 2014. Disney continues to support the charity and provides unique and memorable experiences for patients and their families.

About Sport England

Sport England is a public body and invests more than £300 million National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport.

It wants everyone in England, regardless of age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity. That’s why a lot of its work is specifically focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active – like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes.

Eleven Capgemini Degree apprentices were awarded Bachelors of Science (BSc’s) in Digital and Technology Solutions, following 3 years of working at Capgemini combined with study.

64% of apprentices from Capgemini achieved a 1st class honours degree and all others received 2nd class honours degrees.

Skills and Apprenticeships Minister Anne Milton said:

I am delighted to offer my own personal congratulations to the UK’s first ever degree apprentice graduates. The hard work and commitment involved is truly admirable and highlights the opportunities apprenticeships can bring.

I hope this will encourage more people to consider a degree apprenticeship. It is a great way to earn while you learn at some of the UK’s top Universities and to go on to secure a rewarding job. Well done to all the students and also congratulations to both Aston University and Capgemini for breaking new ground.

Also being recognised today at the Aston University School of Engineering & Applied Science graduation ceremony was Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service who collected an honorary Doctorate in Science (Dsc), conferred by Vice Chancellor, Professor Alec Cameron.

Sue Husband said:

I am absolutely delighted to attend the graduation of the first cohort of Degree apprentices in the country, for what is a momentous occasion.

Degree apprenticeships are a significant step forward, providing the opportunity to develop and nurture talented individuals, and are a key part of our apprenticeships reform programme – with the ambition of creating 3 million quality apprenticeships by 2020 – and includes apprenticeships at higher levels, in more occupations and sectors.

The 11 Degree apprentices receiving their degrees today highlight the significance of higher level apprenticeships and the benefits to apprentices and their employer. Capgemini must be extremely proud of their successes.

As someone who has worked in the education and skills sector for many years, it is also a real privilege for me to receive an honorary DSc. I am a huge advocate of the transformative power that gaining skills and qualifications has on a person’s life and I am thrilled to have been recognised by Aston University.

Degree apprenticeships give people the opportunity to attain a Degree from some of the country’s best universities and higher education institutions whilst training in a top flight career. They and are already available in sectors such as Automotive, Banking, Digital Industries, Chartered Surveying, Aerospace and the Nuclear industry. Many universities and colleges are offering higher and degree apprenticeships across the country.

Higher and Degree apprenticeships are available at levels 4 to 7 and combine work with study and may include a work-based, academic or combined qualification or a professional qualification relevant to the industry. Level 6 is equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree and level 7 is equivalent to a Master’s Degree. Typically, higher apprentices study part-time at college, university or with a training provider.

Currently, over 240,000 workplaces employ an apprentice including Capgemini, Ford, ITV, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Barclays and the BBC, alongside many small and medium sized enterprises. There are between 12,000 and 20,000 apprenticeship vacancies across all levels on the find an apprenticeship site at any one time.

Find out more about apprenticeships on GOV.UK.