Schools to get £3.7 million boost, says MP
Schools in Shropshire will be better off under a new funding deal, says an MP in the county – although he says schools in rural areas continue to get a raw deal compared to the rest of the country.
Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski has moved to reassure parents that there will be no cuts to Shropshire schools under the new National Funding Formula.
He said schools in the Shropshire Council area would get an extra £3.7 million under the new deal, and accused teaching unions of scaremongering about the new deal.
"There has been a lot of misinformation put about by the unions, and a lot of people have been scared into thinking there will be cuts, but I have raised this with the education minister who has assured me that the extra £3.7 million that is being given to Shropshire schools means there will not need to be any cuts," said Mr Kawczynski.
"But I will continue to fight for changes to the funding mechanism, which still puts rural areas at a disadvantage."
Mr Kawczynski said the extra funding for Shropshire schools is part of a two-year package announced in July this year, with an extra £1.3 billion being put into schools across the country along with a ommitment to deliver the National Funding Formula in 2018.
The new formula will see schools guaranteed a 0.5 per cent cash terms rise in their per pupil funding in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "Under the new formula every school will be able to gain, with secondary schools set to receive at least £4,800 per pupil by 2019-20."
The National Education Union said the additional funding failed to cover previous cuts to school budgets.
Telford MP Lucy Allan has said schools in her constituency will receive 7.4 per cent more pupil over the next two years as a result of the formula.
However, the Liberal Democrats claim that Telford & Wrekin will this year see a real terms cut of 4.36 per cent.
Councillor Lee Carter, Labour cabinet member for finance at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “The council continues to be extremely concerned about future government funding arrangements for all its services.”
