News

Fair funding pledge on schools

SCHOOLS in the Westcountry could receive more education funding under plans by Children's Secretary Ed Balls to tackle "anomalies" which see the region's schools short-changed by hundreds of pounds per pupil. A Government review into the formula which decides how much money is allocated per pupil could radically change how much schools in the Westcountry receive, Mr Balls said. Read more here.

Schools take funding fight to Westminster

BBC news link

 

MPs launch inquiry into Early Years Single Funding Formula

By Catherine Gaunt, Nursery World, 11 November 2009

MPs are holding an inquiry into the Early Years Single Funding Formula amid concerns about its impact on early years providers.

Last week the cross-party Commons children, schools and families committee heard from campaigners that children in deprived areas could be hit hardest with a loss of funding to maintained nursery schools.

Their concerns have prompted the committee to hold an official inquiry into early years funding. A report is expected early next year.

The committee is calling for written evidence on the expected impact of the EYSFF on early years education and childcare services, difficulties which have been encountered in drawing up the new formula, and how local authorities plan to deal with this.

Teaching unions have also waded into the funding debate.

John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said, 'The Government is on record as saying that nursery schools should be protected, but we see no evidence of this. It's a top priority to protect nursery provision and we are working with Unison on this.'

He also warned that it could affect special educational needs provision for children.

The NUT is calling for a rethink of the funding formula, echoing a call last week by Mick Brooks, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers.

Early years experts have also taken their concerns about the EYSFF to the letters pages of The Guardian, where Eva Lloyd and Helen Penn from the University of East London, June O'Sullivan from the London Early Years Foundation, Alison Garnham from the Daycare Trust, Kate Green from the Child Poverty Action Group and Fiona Weir from Gingerbread wrote to warn of the formula's threat to nursery schools.

Further Information

www.parliament.uk/csf/

19 October 2009 - County Council Chairman backs campaign

I welcome and support this Campaign. It is a great opportunity for all of us, as Councillors, to really get involved with our Local schools, to help raise awareness of the unfair funding to Devon Schools over a number of years, and spread the word throughout the Districts, to our constituents.

To be 148th out of 151 in terms of funding received from central Government is appalling for one of the largest and most diverse Counties in the Country, in which we have some very deprived rural and urban areas, low average wages and where school transport is so costly. Living in a wonderful county should not mean that we receive inferior funding for education.

Despite this reduced funding, Devon schools are in the top third of Local Authorities in the country in terms of results, which is a great credit to our teachers.

Most people are quite unaware of countrywide inequality of funding from Central Government. It is a priority to raise awareness throughout Devon and all the way to Whitehall. I hope we can have a concerted effort, regardless of political persuasion, to really push this Campaign and put pressure on the Governement to recognise that Devon children need fair funding for their education. Our children are our best investment in the future and they need the very best education we can give them.

You have my full support with the Campaign.

Yours sincerely
John Berry,
Chairman,
Devon County Council

16 October 2009 - "Devon schools unite to launch campaign for fair funding"

DEVON’S schools are uniting to launch a campaign calling on the Government to give education in the county a fair deal.
                                                                                          
Headteachers, governors, teachers and parents will launch the campaign at a special protest meeting at Stoke Hill Junior School in Exeter on October 19 at 10.30am.

The campaign slogan will be: Hands Up for Fairer School Funding.

• Read the rest of the press release here.

"We need to tackle deprivation wherever it lies" -- Minister

South West Regional Minister Jim Knight told MPs that Government needed to tackle deprivation "wherever it lies not just concentrations of deprivation in urban areas." The former Schools Minister was responding to Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox's questions about the inequality of Government
funding for schools in Devon.

• Read the full minutes of the Regional Grand Committee meeting
• Listen to the audio transcript of the meeting
  

Devon schools to launch fair funding campaign

Schools from across Devon will unite to launch their campaign to win fair funding for our children's education at a special event at Stoke Hill Junior School, Exeter on Monday, October 19.

Devon campaign at national conference

Devon will join forces with the national F40 campaign at major conference in London on November 3 when MPs from all political parties will be invited to meet delegates and hear how the post-code lottery of education funding is affecting our children's future.