School spending claims by the Department for Education are being investigated by the UK's statistics watchdog. It follows BBC News reports which showed figures quoted by education ministers defending their record on state school spending included the money spent by university students on tuition fees and parents on private school fees.
This has been confirmed by the OECD think tank that compiles the international comparisons of spending figures. Head teachers' leaders have accused the department of "disrespecting" schools and teachers by this "extraordinary" use of statistics, warning it has "serious questions to answer".
The Department for Education accepts that the spending claim is not limited to public spending on schools - but stands by its use of the figures as "true".
The investigation will be carried out by the UK Statistics Authority, the watchdog which prevents the misleading use of figures. Education ministers last week faced accusations that they were failing to provide adequate funding for schools in England - with head teachers staging a protest in Westminster.
Ministers dismissed the claims made by school leaders - saying that not only were schools getting more money than ever, the UK was the "third highest spender on education in the world".
But this claim has faced intense scrutiny - with heads saying it was "shocking and disturbing" that the Department for Education could quote a spending figure that turned out to include billions spent by students on tuition fees. It is now to be investigated by the statistics watchdog, which reports directly to Parliament and checks whether figures could be misleading and the context in which they are presented.
