Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest’s MP, welcomes comments from David Laws MP, the Minister of State for Schools, who yesterday announced the changes in school funding that his Department will make for 2014-2015.
The most significant changes will include a new optional sparsity factor, which will enable local authorities to target additional funding for small rural schools. Local authorities will also be given greater flexibility in allocating lump sums to different types of schools, as fixed costs may differ between these schools.
However, whilst the announced changes give local authorities greater flexibility in allocating the funding that they receive from government, they do not change the amount of funding local authorities receive.
Mark Garnier commented: “I have been campaigning for fairer school funding for eight years, and have both called and participated in many parliamentary debates on this subject. Worcestershire and other counties participating in the f40 campaign have raised concerns that the local formula could work to the disadvantage of small rural schools. We have been campaigning for the recognition of the extra costs that small schools in rural areas are facing, and it therefore comes as good news that the Government has recognised rural sparsity. Importantly, yesterday’s news, especially the rural sparsity factor, has been welcomed by the Worcestershire Association of Governors.
“As a result of the last Government’s flawed funding formula, Worcestershire is ranked 147th out of 152 in terms of school funding, and pupils in our county currently receive £482 less per pupil than the national average, and a shocking £1,088 less per pupil than those in neighbouring Birmingham.
“The changes to school funding are exactly what we have been campaigning for in terms of the local funding formula, but more needs to be done in terms of the national formula. I am heartened, however, by the Minister’s pledge to implement a national funding formula in the next spending review and I will keep pressing on the Government to ensure that schools across Worcestershire no longer suffer from this unfair allocation of funds.”