Friday 11 March 2016

Progress on Fairer funding for our schools in Northumberland

On 7 March 2016, the Education Secretary announced plans for fairer schools funding.

• We want every school in England to get the funding it deserves, so that all children get a great education – whatever their background and wherever they live. 
• The introduction of a national funding formula from 2017/18 will see the biggest step towards fairer funding in over a decade – ensuring that pupils get funding that genuinely matches their need. It will also ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to receive significant additional funding to overcome entrenched barriers to their success.
• This is a key part of our core mission to extend opportunity to all children and provide educational excellence in all parts of the country: rural and urban, shire and metropolitan, north and south.

We are doing this by:
• Ending the postcode lottery of education funding – so all children receive the education they deserve wherever they live. The current system for distributing funding is inefficient and unfair - a school in one part of the country could receive over 50 per cent more than an identical school in another area. Our changes will mean that pupils with similar needs will attract the same level of funding to their school. 
• Giving funding straight to schools – so pupils with similar needs attract the same level of funding. Currently, local authorities are responsible for deciding funding allocations for schools. A national funding formula will remove the role of local authorities and give headteachers more certainty over future budgets. 
• Giving additional funding to pupils from disadvantage backgrounds – ensuring children get a great education whatever their background. A national funding formula will help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have the opportunity to overcome entrenched barriers by ensuring they continue to receive significant additional funding. 
I urge all my schools to get involved and will be writing to the, specifically