I welcome the government’s announcement of a consultation on a new national funding formula for schools. This is something that the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, promised when she visited Worcestershire late last year and I am confident that the new funding formula will benefit Worcestershire schools.
Funding should be fair for all parts of the country: rural and urban, shire and metropolitan, north and south. The current funding system fails to do this.
Worcestershire has languished near the bottom of funding league tables for many years and the county has seen a growing gap between its funding and that of neighbouring areas. It is simply not possible to justify the £900 per-pupil funding gap between Worcestershire schools and those in neighbouring Birmingham. I am pleased this Government recognises that.
This week’s announcement is the culmination of years of hard work and I pay tribute to all the teachers, Governors, parents and politicians who have worked so hard to get this far.
Our next step must be ensuring that Worcestershire gets the best deal possible out of the new funding formula. I encourage local schools, governors, parents and interested parties to respond to the consultation so that young people in Worcestershire get the funding they need to fully reach their potential. The consultation is open until April 17th and can be accessed at https://consult.education.gov.uk/.