I welcome new legislation which will guarantee minimum funding levels for all schools. Initially, the increase in school funding was set out by the Chancellor in September, and outlined government aims to ensure fairer funding to all parts of the UK. Recently, the Prime Minister has announced that local authorities will now be required by law to make sure every school receives the full amount of the minimum levels of funding.
This means that every secondary school is guaranteed at least £5,000 per pupil and every primary school at least £3,750 per pupil in funding per year. New legislation will ensure that schools in Worcestershire and across the country cannot fall below the minimum levels of funding for each pupil, which was not the case previously. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson adds the following comment on this legislation: “putting minimum per pupil funding levels into law for the first time gives schools a cast-iron assurance they will receive the money they need to help every child, wherever they live, unlock all of the fantastic opportunities an excellent education provides.”
The Government have also launched a new website where parents can see clearly how much funding schools are receiving and how much they will receive in the next year. This is a huge push to make school funding fairer. Coupled with the new legislation, this comes as part of the Government initiative to make sure no school loses out simply because of their location or historic local rules.
Many of my constituents will know that school funding has been an issue that I have campaigned on for a long time. I have worked continuously with the other Worcestershire MPs to lobby the Government on making sure Worcestershire, which has been historically underfunded compared with other parts of the country, gets its fair share of the investment. I’m pleased that this new legislation is a step towards making sure school funding is evenly distributed across the country and across Worcestershire.
