Fairer Funding, an initiative
pioneered by this government, received a firm forward push, in this week’s
Budget. I, and others, have pushed for this to happening sooner rather than later and I am delighted that the Chancellor has agreed to bring this forward.
George Osborne set out the government’s acceleration of fairer funding, with the first National Funding Formula for schools to be in place from 2017-18. The funding ramp-up aims to have 90 per cent of schools, which are due additional funding under the National Funding Formula, to receive the full amount they are due by 2020.
George Osborne set out the government’s acceleration of fairer funding, with the first National Funding Formula for schools to be in place from 2017-18. The funding ramp-up aims to have 90 per cent of schools, which are due additional funding under the National Funding Formula, to receive the full amount they are due by 2020.
The government will also provide around
£500 million of additional core funding to schools over the course of this
Spending Review, to speed up the process. This is on top of the commitment to
maintain per pupil funding in cash terms. A fairer deal for schools is
getting a real shot-in-the-arm.
There was also more excellent
news for schools in Tynedale, and the wider North East, as the Chancellor
pledged a further £20 million a year of new funding for a new Northern
Powerhouse Schools Strategy.
This new funding will ensure rapid
action is taken to push up educational progress in the North. The investment
will support “proven leaders and outstanding schools”, in a mentoring scheme
that will see our best schools helping to bring up neighbouring ones that are
not doing so well. It will also pay for
the best schools to fast-track to become teaching schools, and the best heads
to be national leaders of education.
The Budget also saw a government
that is committed to ensuring that all school pupils achieve a good standard of
core skills. The government will commission Sir Adrian Smith to review the case
for “more or all” students, to continue to study maths at 18 in the longer term.
Maths is a vital core subject, fundamental to everyday life, and the modern
economy. Surely, it makes sense to ensure that all pupils leave school with
Maths as part of a solid educational foundation.
