I have been pressing for more cash for local schools. I have argued for a better national formula, and for more money for schools in total. I am still pressing for further improvement as I am well aware that schools would like more money.
I have just received the latest figures from Wokingham Borough Council comparing schools budgets for 2018/19 with their budgets for 2017/18. These budgets are still locally determined , though clearly national financial provision is an important determinant as it settled the totals for local schools.
The figures are for Wokingham Borough as a whole, so they stretch beyond just my constituency. They show that in total the schools budgets for 2017/18 of £94.45 m have gone up by 4.5% or £4.291 to a total for 2018/19 of £98.742 m. This is a useful increase. I am urging the government to provide further increases next year. I want more from a better national formula which gives relatively more to schools in areas like Wokingham which tend to be at the lower end of the national tables for cash. I am also seeking an increase in the general national totals for English schools.
The local distribution of the money by school does leave a few schools with less cash. This is because they have experienced a substantial loss of pupils. As a large part of the money is provided as a per pupil payment to cover individual pupil costs of teaching and provision, loss of pupils clearly does result in less grant. Bohunt is the school that gets the largest increase to reflect its rapid growth.
April 21, 2018
If you suggest that more weight is given to a per pupil amount and less to considerations of deprivation and English as an Additional Language (foreign parents) you would get much closer to a fairer national funding formula.
Additionally why give more per pupil to secondary pupils? If learning is encouraged in the young they carry that through to secondary.
Lastly is the increase of 4% real? Or is it driven by nursery place funding?
April 21, 2018
Why are all your schools not full? Have they been opening free schools where they are not needed.
All my borough’s schools are oversubscribed?
First port of call after Heathrow.