On Wednesday this week, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the government’s Autumn Budget and the outcome of their 2021 Spending Review. The Budget described the upcoming changes to taxation while the Spending Review set out how much money each government department will get over the next three years.

There were certainly some eye-catching announcements including big increases in government spending and investment, tax cuts for businesses and an increase in the national living wage. But what did the Budget and Spending Review mean for our education system from primary schools all the way up to universities and beyond? Which education institutions are the winners and losers from the Chancellor’s decisions? And should headteachers, college principals and university vice-chancellors be feeling optimistic or pessimistic about the months ahead?

To help us unravel the contents of the Spending Review in this inaugural episode of the EDSK think tank’s new podcast, we are joined by two guests who know all about Spending Reviews from their own careers in and around government. Jonathan Simons is a Partner and Head of the Education Practice at Public First, a specialist public policy consultancy, and Andy Westwood is Professor of Government Practice at the University of Manchester and a Director of the Productivity Institute. 

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