Comparative Costs: Perspectives on primary-secondary differences

Since 1988, debate about education funding has been propelled by the increased transparency of individual schools' finances, under local management of schools. Financial management hitherto something largely confined to local authority officers and elected members, has become a necessary topic of study for all head teachers and school governing bodies.

This report contains the findings of the NFER Comparative Costs Project, which surveyed secondary and primary schools about resourcing needs, undertook case studies in individual schools and examined work in LEAs on activity-led staffing.