Funding changes will affect schools
HALTON MP Derek Twigg has revealed the breakdown of how Widnes and Runcorn schools will fare under changes to the way they are funded.
Mr Twigg said only one secondary school, The Grange in Runcorn, will receive an increase, which will be of 0.3% or £14,000.
He said this may because The Grange is a through-school with juniors and infants schools incorporated into the site.
The Halton MP said all primary schools will gain except for Daresbury, which will have a reduced budget of 1.2% or £6,000, Halebank which will lose 1.10% or £5,000 and Weston to lose 1.3% or £9,000.
Overall for the transitional school year of 2018-19, Halton will receive an increase of 0.7% or £653,305.
For the first full year under the national funding formula during 2019-20, spending on Halton schools will increase by 2.2% or £2,132,622.
However, the following secondary schools are due to lose funding: Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy, 1.5%, £65,000; Ormiston Chadwick Academy, 1.5%, £59,000; Sts Peter And Paul Catholic College, 1.5%, £100,000; Sandymoor School, 1.4%, £29,000; St Chad’s, 1.5%, £75,000; The Heath, 1.5%, £77,000; Wade Deacon, 1.5%, £118,000.
Mr Twigg said the biggest increase will be in the ‘schools block’, which is ● given to local authorities, increasing by £486,000 for 2018-19 and a further £1.3m for 2019-20.
The Halton MP requested the figures after education secretary Justine Greening slammed existing schools funding arrangements as a ‘broken system’ blighted by ‘unfairness’.
She said schools in Nottingham can receive £460 per pupil more than schools in Halton even when they have the same proportion of children classed as disadvantaged ●
Mr Twigg said it was necessary to take into account rising costs when considering the increases and decreases in funding.
Ms Greening has said the changes will provide stability to schools, by imposing a minimum floor so schools cannot face an overall reduction of more than 3%. She said it is vital to provide sufficient stability for schools and implement a fair formula.
In the foreword to the reforms’ consultation, she said: “On average, schools in the historically lowestfunded local authority areas will gain 3.6% as a result of this formula.
“Schools serving large numbers of pupils who live in areas of deprivation but who are not eligible for free school meals – those whose families are just about managing – will benefit from our proposals. Schools in areas of sustained educational under-performance will also gain.”
Consultation on the reforms open until March 22. COMPOSITE ROOF is