Macclesfield MP, David Rutley, and other local MPs, met recently with the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education, as part of their ongoing and active campaigning work for improved funding for schools in Cheshire East.

The meeting was kindly hosted at Wilmslow High School, and was attended by fellow Cheshire East MPs, Esther McVey and Antoinette Sandbach, as well as headteachers and school governors from across the Borough. Mr Peter Rubery, Executive Head of the Fallibroome Multi-Academy Trust, which runs the Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield and other schools in Cheshire, was invited from the Macclesfield constituency.

At the meeting, the teachers set out concerns around current levels of funding, including funding for special educational needs, and cost pressures that local schools face. David highlighted how many local schools have taken action to address these financial challenges. For example, some have become part of multi-academy trusts, but schools have continued to raise concerns, particularly at the primary level.

Under the schools national funding formula, the Government is providing additional funding for schools in Macclesfield and across local communities, with per-pupil funding increasing by 2.4 per cent this year, compared to the 2017-2018 financial year. In total, the Government is investing an extra £1.3 billion in schools and high needs over the period 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, over and above the budget set at the Spending Review in 2015.

Speaking after the meeting, David said, "Campaigning with other local MPs for improved funding for our schools remains one of my top priorities for our area. I am grateful to the Secretary of State for agreeing to meet with headteachers and to listening to their concerns. I will continue to work closely with other local MPs in Cheshire East, to help make further progress on this important issue for local pupils, and their families.”