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PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Primary Education: Literacy (8 March 2017)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on administering the Phonics Screening Check since it was launched in 2012; and under what headings in each year.

Asked by:
Rachael Maskell (Labour)

Answer

The phonics screening check is administered by the Standards and Testing Agency on behalf of the Department for Education. The Agency does not routinely publish or hold a breakdown of costs by the different types of tests and assessments that it administers. It has, however, previously provided figures for the cost of administering the phonics screening check in the last five academic years in response to a freedom of information request. The total cost figure for the period since 2012 provided in that response was £1,230,250 broken down as per the information provided in the table below:

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Print of materials for schools to administer the check (check materials and guidance)

£43,000

£73,000

£75,500

£74,750

£69,750

Distribution to schools (including collation, postage and courier costs)

£156,750

£203,750

£189,000

£169,000

£175,750

Total

£199,750

£276,750

£264,500

£243,750

£245,500


Answered by:
Nick Gibb (Conservative)
13 March 2017

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.