By Vivienne Russell | 18 July 2014
Sixty-nine local authorities are to receive extra school funding from the Department for Education for the next academic year, schools minister David Laws has confirmed.
Following a consultation on fairer funding for schools, Laws yesterday announced that an additional £390m would be allocated to the least well-funded local areas. This is £40m more than the amount proposed in the consultation.
‘My announcement means that, for example, Cambridgeshire – the lowest funded area in 2014 to 2015 – will now receive an additional £311 for every pupil. Northumberland will now receive an additional £307 for each of its pupils and Croydon an additional £278,’ Laws said in a written ministerial statement.
‘The additional funding that we will allocate to local authorities addresses the unfair distribution of mainstream schools funding.’
In the 69 areas set to receive extra funds, schools forums will be able to agree local funding formula for 2015 to 2016. Laws urged local authorities not to hold back the funding to pay for centrally provided services.
‘However, I want to be clear that it is for local authorities, in consultation with their schools forum, to decide how they distribute this additional funding between the schools in their area,’ said the minister.
‘If it is the collective judgement of a schools forum that there is a better way of distributing funding locally, then schools will not receive a budget that reflects each of the minimum funding levels directly.’
Responding to the announcement, the Association of School and College Leaders said school budgets would be better off. ‘The increase in basic funding is a useful step towards a national fair funding formula,’ said general secretary Brian Lightman.
‘However, this good news is completely overshadowed by the reality that all schools and colleges are facing huge holes in their budgets caused by pension contribution rises and other increasing costs.’
Information on Dedicated Schools Grant allocations can be accessed here.
