Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, has welcomed the Chancellor’s commitment to introduce fair school funding as part of today’s Comprehensive Spending Review. A new funding formula will set a national rate that every school will receive for each pupil, with additional funding for those with extra needs. Crucially, from 2017-18 onwards the resources schools and local authorities will receive will be based on pupil characteristics rather than historic political calculations. The Department for Education will consult on the detail of the announcement in early 2016.
The announcement signals an end to the current unfair system, which has lasted for decades and led to a situation where the ten best funded areas of England receive an average of £6,300 per pupil of schools block funding, compared to just £4,200 in the ten worst funded areas – with no objective basis for the difference.
It follows years of campaigning by the F40 Group of poorly-funded local authorities, and a concerted Parliamentary campaign to make the issue a top political priority. In October, Richard Drax was one of 111 MPs who wrote to the Prime Minister to call for fairer funding to be introduced, and on 5 November he demanded action in a debate on the issue in Westminster Hall. On Tuesday 1 December, Richard Drax will join colleagues as petitions from over 100 constituencies calling for fair funding will be presented by MPs in the House of Commons chamber.
Speaking after the announcement, Richard Drax said, “I have long campaigned for fairer funding for Dorset, which is one of the 37 poorest funded authorities in the country.”
“Dorset has been near the bottom of the funding ladder for years, with Wey Valley School in Dorset currently attracting a pupil premium of £4,908. You have only to compare this with £5,443 per pupil at Gloucestershire Academy and £8,256 per pupil in Tower Hamlets to see that it was high time the formula was completely rethought.”
“It also took no account of the sparsity of pupils in more rural areas. I am delighted that this manifestly unfair situation is about to change.”
Graham Stuart MP, who serves as Vice Chairman of the F40 Campaign representing the worst-funded authorities, said, “I am delighted that the Government has committed to introduce a national funding formula for English schools, ending the postcode lottery that means children in South Dorset lose out for no good reason. As always, the devil will lie in the detail and we will need to see the full detail of the consultation, but in principle this represents a huge step forward and is a decision of lasting significance.
“I am very grateful to Richard Drax, who has played a big role as a Patron of the Fair School Funding Campaign. He has worked tirelessly to draw attention to the unfair funding gap and today’s announcement marks a real breakthrough.”