David Rutley MP has welcomed the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s commitment to introduce fair school funding as part of his 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 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 clear and objective basis for the difference.
It follows years of campaigning by the F40 Group of poorly-funded local authorities, and a concerted Parliamentary campaign to make the issue a top political priority. In October, David was one of 111 MPs who wrote to the Prime Minister to call for fairer funding to be introduced, and on 5th November he called for action in a debate on the issue in Westminster Hall. On Tuesday 1st December, he joined colleagues as petitions from over 100 constituencies calling for fair funding were presented by MPs in the chamber of the House of Commons.
Speaking after the announcement, David said, “I am very pleased that the Government has made this decision, which is fairer and of clear benefit to children in Macclesfield and throughout Cheshire East. This has been an issue that I have raised with the Government over several years, and represents real progress for many schools across the country.”
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 Macclesfield lose out for no good reason. As always, 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 real significance.
“I am very grateful to David, who has played an important role as a Patron of the Fair School Funding Campaign. He has worked hard to draw attention to the unfair funding gap and today’s announcement marks a positive step forward.”