CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS OF FAIRER EDUCATION FUNDING

Stafford’s Labour MP David Kidney is calling on schools and parents to respond to a new Government consultation on schools funding. The Government is keeping a promise it made in 2003 to review the changes it made then to the way it shares out central funding to schools and local education authorities.

Changes were last made in 2003 when the Government accepted a key demand of fair funding campaigners. Every school in England receives the same basic “per pupil” amount. But there are three “extras” that only some schools receive, namely:

 Higher costs of recruitment and retention;
 Deprivation; and
 Rural areas.

David Kidney says that the 2003 changes did not go far enough and there is still unfairness:

“The actual central funds sent to schools and local authorities still show – because of the effect of those extras – extraordinary variations. A typical primary school in Staffordshire is receiving over £100,000 a year less than a similar school in Wolverhampton. For a secondary school the difference can be as much as £500,000.

“All of us in Staffordshire should respond to this consultation to try to reduce this gap and benefit all our schools.

“The messages we must send to the Department for Education & Skills include:

 The size of the funding gap between the higher and lower funded areas is too wide;
 Those at the bottom of the funding league get an increasingly worse deal year on year – the poorest funded areas have fallen further behind over the years;
 The method of allocating deprivation funding should recognize “pockets of deprivation”.

“I’m asking school governors and staff, parents and everyone who supports our campaign for fairer funding to take time now to respond to this consultation. This is probably our best chance for several years to come to influence schools funding for the better for our area.”

Editor’s Notes:

 The DfES Consultation called “School, early years and 14-16 funding consultation” commenced on 7 March and closes on 1 June.
 The consultation can be read at  www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/ and a copy requested from e-mail dfes@prolog.uk.com or tel. 0845 602 2260
 Responses should be sent to DfES Consultation Unit, Area 1A, Castle View House, East Lane, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 2GJ or E-mail to schoolfunding.consultation@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
 F40 has finalised its response to the consultation and more information can be found at www.f40.org.uk or tel. 01287 610 404.
 F40 is a national coalition of authorities and schools campaigning for fairer education funding, backed by around 200 MPs. David Kidney chairs f40.
 David Kidney is writing to every school in Stafford constituency and every MP in Staffordshire urging support for the f40 case.