Lincoln’s Member of Parliament, Karl McCartney MP, 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 Conservative led F40 Group of poorly-funded local authorities, and a concerted Parliamentary campaign to make the issue a top political priority. In October, Karl McCartney MP was one of 111 MPs who wrote to the Prime Minister to call for fairer funding to be introduced. On Tuesday 1 December, Karl McCartney MP 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, Karl McCartney MP said: “I am delighted by the Chancellor’s announcement in the Comprehensive Spending Review regarding the possibility of a new national funding formula for schools, which would pave the way for a fair and objective funding system after decades of campaigning. We will need to see full details in the consultation promised for the New Year but this looks like a big step in the right direction.”
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 Lincoln 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 Karl McCartney MP, 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.”
- ENDS -
For further information, please contact Karl McCartney MP at [email protected] / 020 7219 7221.