The future of education funding: What the spending review means for schools

How could the government use the upcoming spending review to make the biggest difference to the lives of children and young people? Join our expert panel for an evening of debate to consider what levers they might pull, what the trade-offs could be and how education will stack up against the other priorities for public spending.  

 You will gain:

• A deeper understanding of what is likely to happen in the spending review from a range of experts 
• Insight into how decisions might impact schools and children 
• Plus, for those attending in person, a chance to meet and network with colleagues from across the sector 

Our panellists

Helen Barnard, Director of Policy, Research and Impact, Trussell 

Helen Barnard is Director of Policy, Research and Impact at Trussell. She was formerly Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Research and Policy Director at Pro Bono Economics. She is a leading national expert on poverty, inequality and social policy. Her extensive body of research and policy work have covered poverty, destitution, labour markets, housing, social security and civil society. She is author of ‘Want (Giants: a new Beveridge Report)’ which examines modern day poverty and the institutions and reforms required to address it.  

 Natalie Perera, CEO, Education Policy Institute 

Natalie became CEO of EPI in December 2020, having joined in 2015 as Executive Director and Head of Research. Natalie worked in the Department for Education from 2002 to 2014 on a range of policies including early years, children’s services, school funding and the Pupil Premium. Between April 2014 to May 2015, Natalie was seconded to the Cabinet Office where she worked in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office.  

Natalie currently sits on the board of the Queen’s Street Group and serves as a trustee of two Multi Academy Trusts and the Fair Education Alliance. 

Chaired by: Sam Freedman, Senior Advisor to Ark 

Sam Freedman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and writes regularly on politics and policy for Prospect, the FT, the Guardian and others. Sam’s substack newsletter ‘Comment is Freed’ has over 70,000 subscribers. His first book “Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How to Fix It” was released in July, made the Sunday Times bestseller list and was named an Economist, FT and Daily Telegraph book of the year. Sam is also a senior advisor to the education charity Ark; Vice-Chair of Ambition Institute; and a trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust. 

 About 1EdCity

1EdCity is a new place for the education sector to connect, collaborate and innovate. The EdCity campus includes an Ark primary school, an Onside youth zone, a nursery, an adult education centre and over 130 affordable homes. At the heart of the development is 1EdCity which, as well as providing a new home for the Ark network and our partners, will be a space for the education sector as a whole. Whether you’re running training, networking, showing a film, recording a podcast, or just looking for a place to meet or work, this will be a new space to connect in person.

Information on how to get to 1EdCity can be found here.

To discuss access requirements, email [email protected]

Host or Publisher 1EdCity