School funding Cash for disadvantaged pupils is set to drop by £1.4 million

SCHOOL cash for the most disadvantaged children in the county is set to drop by more than £1.4 million due a Government decision.

The pupil premium aims to close the attainment gap by providing extra money for pupils eligible for free school meals.

Following Freedom of Information requests by Schools Week, it has emerged that schools in the county are set to lose £1,400,370 after the decision to base the funding on a school’s pupil numbers in October rather than January, as previously calculated.

Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors in the county have strongly criticised the decision. However, the Department for Education has said the change will help schools with their budget planning, and that pupil premium funding was set to rise next year.

Liberal Democrat Cheltenham borough councillor Max Wilkinson said: “This cut shows the Conservatives are more focused on penny-pinching than on giving children the best possible education. When the attainment gap is widening and children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, it is shameful the Tories would seek to cut Gloucestershire’s pupil premium money.

“Liberal Democrats introduced the pupil premium and have had to fight the Tories to keep it properly funded.

“Given the financial pressure that families are under, this change has real potential to cause harm and will have a direct impact on the quality of education schools can provide for those who are in desperate need of more, not less, support.

“The Government must listen to teachers about the reality on the ground, not pull support when it is most needed.”

The former Labour group leader at Gloucestershire County Council, Lesley Williams, also criticised the change.

“The £1,400,370 our children are missing out on, while this country throws billions after billions at a test and trace system that hasn’t worked, means missing out on the extra support they need to catch up after a truly terrible year in which their families have lost income,” she said.

“It is disgraceful this Government is using an accounting con to shortchange children in Gloucestershire. They have the wrong priorities and they are making the wrong decisions.”

However, the Department for Education says pupil premium funding is expected to increase next year to more than £2.5 billion across the country.

“Per-pupil rates are unchanged – so a typical school will see an increase in its pupil premium allocations this year compared to last,” a spokesperson said.

“Any pupil who becomes eligible after the October census will attract funding in the following year.”

The spokesperson added that there had also been a £14bn increase in school funding over three years and that school leaders could target recovery funding, worth £1.7bn, towards supporting disadvantaged youngsters.

The Conservatives had not provided a comment at the time of going to press.

Given the financial pressure that families are under, this change has real potential to cause harm and will have a direct impact on the quality of education schools can provide for those who are in desperate need of more, not less, support. Councillor Max Wilkinson