WILTSHIRE Council is calling on local MPs to support a push for fairer education funding, highlighting major disparities between funding for pupils in the county.

As part of the f40 group – a coalition of the UK’s 43 lowest-funded local authorities – Wiltshire continues to receive significantly less funding per pupil than many areas.

For 2026–27, the council ranks 23rd lowest for mainstream funding and 25th for high needs SEND funding out of 151 local authorities.

The shortfall is stark: Wiltshire receives 36% less per pupil than Hackney for general school funding, and 70% less than Camden for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

If Wiltshire were funded at Camden’s level, the council says its forecast Safety Valve deficit would be entirely eliminated.

Cabinet member for children’s services Cllr Jon Hubbard said: “Wiltshire’s children are being failed by a funding system that is plainly unjust. Our schools and families are being expected to do more and more with significantly less, and it is putting our young people at a real and measurable disadvantage.

“We have dedicated staff doing extraordinary work, but goodwill alone cannot close a funding gap of this scale. This isn’t a marginal issue. It’s a systemic failure that is holding back thousands of children.”

Jackie Fieldwick, CEO of Brunel Academies Trust and Uplands Enterprise Trust, which runs special schools and mainstream resource bases in the area, echoed these concerns.

She said: “All schools are struggling to balance their budgets, but those in the lowest funded areas are forced to make even more cuts.

“This often affects key teaching staff, resources, and extra-curricular activities. Now is the time to review the whole education funding system so all pupils are supported equally.”

Demand for SEND support continues to outstrip funding, with local authorities across England projected to have a cumulative SEND deficit of £6 billion by April 2026 if no changes are made.

Wiltshire remains part of the Department for Education’s Safety Valve programme, tackling a forecast in-year deficit of £49.4 m, which is expected to rise to £104.5 million by the end of the financial year.

For more information and national funding comparisons, visit the f40 website.