MP calls for fairer funding for county schools

6 days ago 20

A Gloucestershire MP is calling connected the authorities to marque schoolhouse backing "fairer", with pupils successful the region receiving up to £1,000 little each twelvemonth compared to different parts of England.

Cameron Thomas, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury, held a statement astatine Westminster Hall connected Tuesday wherever helium highlighted the discrepancy.

He said teachers successful the region and crossed England are "on the beforehand enactment of a genuine situation to which they person been fixed nary existent answers".

The Department for Education (DfE) said it volition reappraisal the mode schoolhouse backing is calculated up of the 2026/27 world year.

The authorities pays section authorities wealth to supply acquisition services done what is called the Dedicated Schools Grant.

It uses a fig of measures specified arsenic deprivation levels and section costs to cipher however overmuch each country should receive.

A spokesperson said: "We are reviewing the schools and precocious needs nationalist backing look (NFFs) for 2026-27 and the pursuing years, recognising the value of establishing a just backing system."

Gloucestershire is presently successful the bottommost 20% erstwhile it comes to schoolhouse funding.

This means pupils successful the region person up to £1,000 little each twelvemonth compared to the 20% champion funded areas.

Thomas, 42, said this has an interaction connected pupils and teachers, with 1 Gloucestershire caput teacher telling him helium spent his vacation fixing the schoolhouse arsenic it could not spend to employment a caretaker.

Speaking to the BBC aft the debate, Thomas said: "Quite virtually for a pupil it means they are being invested successful to a lesser grade than pupils elsewhere successful the country, and it mightiness person a important interaction connected the opportunities that are disposable to pupils wrong the acquisition programme.

"But the different victims of this are the teachers.

"My caput teachers are having to marque decisions arsenic to who they tin spend to support successful word of their unit and who they request to fto go."

'More equity'

Thomas has welcomed the government's committedness to reappraisal the backing look but said it indispensable effect successful an summation successful the wide wealth fixed to schools crossed England.

He believes the authorities could summation taxes connected exertion and societal media companies to wage for it.

"Quite simply, I'm looking for much equity," helium said.

"What I'm not asking for is to retreat funds from those much lucratively funded areas of the country. I conscionable privation to marque definite Gloucestershire gets it's just share.

"I surely wouldn't similar to spot Gloucestershire little funded than it is now, it's already successful a unspeakable authorities and immoderate alteration to their existing backing would beryllium ruinous."

Alongside wide mainstream schoolhouse demands, councils crossed England are besides struggling with the expanding costs associated with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.

In Gloucestershire, it is estimated the SEND fund volition scope a shortage of £170m by the extremity of the 2028 fiscal year.

The authorities presently allows section authorities to tally this conception of the fund astatine a deficit, but determination is presently nary wide program arsenic to however oregon erstwhile councils volition beryllium expected to equilibrium this debt.

The backing look for the Dedicated Schools Grant was past reviewed successful 2018/19.

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