Call over ‘stealth cut’ to children’ s budgets
EDUCATION: The Government is making a stealth cut to school budgets which shows “disregard” for children’s futures, a politician will warn today.
The Opposition has said 120,000 children will lose extra support after the Government changed its date for calculating school funding for children from lower income families.
THE GOVERNMENT is making a stealth cut to school budgets which shows “disregard” for children’s futures, a senior Labour politician will warn today.
The Opposition has said as many as 120,000 children nationally are set to lose extra support after the Government changed its date for calculating school funding for children from lower income families.
Schools receive £1,345 in pupil premiums for every primary age pupil, or £955 for every secondary age pupil, who claims free school meals or who has claimed free school meals during the past six years.
Labour have accused the Government of letting pupils down by changing the date for calculating the funding for this year, meaning schools will not receive premiums for any child who began receiving free school meals on or after October 1, 2020 – during the second and third periods of lockdown.
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green said: “The Conservatives’ stealth cut to school budgets shows disregard for children’s futures as we recover from this pandemic.
“The Government’s mishandling of the Covid crisis has kept children out of school, missing out on learning and time with friends, and now they are cutting support that would help children most likely to have struggled with learning over the last year.”
In a speech to the NASUWT annual conference today, Ms Green will argue that “poverty wastes potential”, damaging children’s self-esteem, well-being and learning as well as harming “our country’s success and prosperity”.
Schools originally expected the calculations to be made from January’s figures, according to Labour.
Figures released by the party show 30,000 children in a quarter of councils in England have begun receiving free school meals since last October, which the Opposition says could mean up to 120,000 children nationwide will not benefit from the pupil premium this year.
But the Department for Education (DfE) said payments are due to increase to £2.5bn this year, and the date has been changed to allow schools to plan their budgets further ahead of time.
In Wakefield, almost £1m of potential pupil premium money will be lost to schools because of the date change, according to Labour.
Some 849 children in the West Yorkshire city – a seven per cent increase since last year – began receiving free school meals after October 1, equating to around £993,330 worth of premiums.
According to an investigation by the Times Educational Supplement, North Yorkshire has seen an increase of 687 pupils receiving free school meals, equating to £862,880 worth of lost premium funding.
Schools are able to choose how to spend the premium money, with the Government’s suggested usages including breakfast clubs and music lessons.
Pupil premiums were introduced in 2011 by the then coalition government.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Throughout the pandemic, the Government has prioritised children and young people, keeping schools open for vulnerable children and bringing all children back to the classroom as soon as possible, as we know being in school is best for their well-being and development.
“We have made sure schools have continued to accept new free school meal applications, providing meals to anyone who becomes newly eligible, including while pupils were learning remotely.”
Poverty wastes potential and harms our country’s success. Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green.