New housing developments can create extra pressure on local schools. This means more children may need school places. Developers must help manage this impact so that local schools can continue to meet the needs of the community.
Why contributions are needed
When new homes are built, more families may move into the area. This can increase demand for school places. To make sure schools have enough space, developers may need to provide funding or other support. This is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (2018).
How contributions are collected
Developer contributions for education can be secured in different ways:
- Planning conditions added to a planning permission
- Section 106 agreements, where the developer pays money to the county council for school places or directly provides new school buildings
- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), used by some local planning authorities to fund infrastructure for larger areas
Staffordshire Education Infrastructure Contributions Policy (SEICP)
The Staffordshire Education Infrastructure Contributions Policy (SEICP) explains how the council works out the impact of a new housing development on schools. It also sets out what developers may need to provide.
The policy:
- Helps calculate the likely education contribution
- Gives developers an early idea of possible costs
- Allows the council to use a different calculation method if a development is large, complex, or has a known cost for school provision
The policy also includes how to calculate contributions for:
- Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school places
- Home‑to‑school transport where needed