London Councils has warned that the proposed national funding formula for schools will lead to a shortage of places in many areas and urged the government to allow schools and local authorities a greater say in the way that education funding is allocated.
In its response to two consultations published by the Government about the future of education funding, the organisation which represents London’s 33 local authorities, also called for academies and free schools not to be funded separately to borough maintained schools.
London Councils said that the national funding formula would not be able to meet the needs of local areas sufficiently, and that individual schools and pupils could lose out as a result. Local flexibility in the funding system currently enables schools and local authorities to respond swiftly to meet the changing needs of the local school population, it said.
In London, where London Councils predict a 70,000 shortfall in school places over the next four years, local discretion has allowed local areas to address considerable challenges such as high levels of pupil mobility, deprivation and lack of school places by, for example, funding the recruitment of additional teachers.
London Councils’ Executive Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Steve Reed, said: “Decisions must be made locally on where to spend school funding because a national funding formula will never have enough flexibility to respond to the specific needs of each school and the pupils who go there. At the moment we are able to target funding at schools and pupils that need it most, for example to be able to cater for increased demand for places, which is a huge issue for London schools.
“Questions remain about how fair the new funding formula will be and we are concerned that both it and the pupil premium could end up disadvantaging the pupils it was intended to help.
“We are also calling for a level playing field for funding for all schools, be they academies, free schools or local authority maintained. Academies and free schools must not be given money at the expense of the education of pupils attending other schools.”
On 13 April 2011 the Department for Education launched two education funding consultations: A consultation on school funding reform: rationale and principles and Academies pre-16 funding: options for the 2012/13 academic year.
London Councils criticises proposed national funding formula for schools
London Councils has warned that the proposed national funding formula for schools will lead to a shortage of places in many areas and urged the government to allow schools and local authorities a greater say in the way that education funding is allocated.
In its response to two consultations published by the Government about the future of education funding, the organisation which represents London’s 33 local authorities, also called for academies and free schools not to be funded separately to borough maintained schools.
London Councils said that the national funding formula would not be able to meet the needs of local areas sufficiently, and that individual schools and pupils could lose out as a result. Local flexibility in the funding system currently enables schools and local authorities to respond swiftly to meet the changing needs of the local school population, it said.
In London, where London Councils predict a 70,000 shortfall in school places over the next four years, local discretion has allowed local areas to address considerable challenges such as high levels of pupil mobility, deprivation and lack of school places by, for example, funding the recruitment of additional teachers.
London Councils’ Executive Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Steve Reed, said: “Decisions must be made locally on where to spend school funding because a national funding formula will never have enough flexibility to respond to the specific needs of each school and the pupils who go there. At the moment we are able to target funding at schools and pupils that need it most, for example to be able to cater for increased demand for places, which is a huge issue for London schools.
“Questions remain about how fair the new funding formula will be and we are concerned that both it and the pupil premium could end up disadvantaging the pupils it was intended to help.
“We are also calling for a level playing field for funding for all schools, be they academies, free schools or local authority maintained. Academies and free schools must not be given money at the expense of the education of pupils attending other schools.”
On 13 April 2011 the Department for Education launched two education funding consultations: A consultation on school funding reform: rationale and principles and Academies pre-16 funding: options for the 2012/13 academic year.
http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1756&external=no&menu=1
http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1755&external=no&menu=1
