Should the UK increase school funding to avoid the kind of unrest seen in France?
Core school funding in England is £67 billion in 2026-27, up £1.7 billion on the year before. Average per-pupil funding in the national funding formula is £6,771. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates that mainstream school costs will rise about 4% a year, ahead of funding growth of about 3% in cash terms. In France, student protests over teacher shortages and school conditions began in late September 2026 and turned violent. They have led to school closures and thousands of arrests.
5 Opinions
No. 1. We don't want to set a precedent that rioting is better than voting to get what you want. 2. True Brits don't destroy things they want to fix, creating more things which need fixing. 3. The question presupposes the reason for the riots. Those are mixed; therefore, uncertain. 4. Our reasons for discontent will be different. So funnelling money into someone else's perceived grievance is stupid.
I know one thing for certain. If you reward protests with adhering to the things they want, expect more protests. It is never, ever acceptable to riot over anything you don't agree with and France is lost.
The UK should set our policies based upon our needs and situation, not that of another nation. Also the situation in France is more complex than just School funding.
The protests in France reflect multiple causes rolled into one - cost of living, lack of employment, degradation of public services. It’s coming whether we like it or not.
If you think the “unrest” in France is about school funding I have a bridge to sell you. If it happens here one would hope that there would be an immediate and strong police response.