Shropshire schools get better cash deal
Shropshire pupils will receive the fifth highest amount of funding per head in the UK - after having previously been among the poorest supported in the country.
The Government has announced that schools in some of the least fairly funded local areas in the country will benefit from a £390 million cash boost in the biggest step towards fairer schools funding in a decade.
Shropshire's case for fairer funding has been accepted and the rise in money spent per pupil has been increased from a projected £256 to £297, meaning the county will receive an extra £10.4 million for the 2015/16 academic year.
The additional funding marks a 7.2 per cent increase for Shropshire?'s schools and represents the seventh-highest percentage rise in pupil funding across England. A total of 62 local authorities are benefitting from the changes.
But pupils in Shropshire will still receive a smaller figure per head than their counterparts in Telford.
Shropshire's funding is due to rise from £4,113 per pupil currently to £4,410 per pupil. Its total funding is increasing from £143.6 million to £152.5 million.
Telford & Wrekin's funding will go up from £4,367 per pupil to £4,435. Its total funding is increasing from £97 million to £98.5 million, a rise of 1.5 per cent.
Ludlow MP Philip Dunne has been a strong supporter of the revision and said he was very pleased that Shropshire's schools have been given a much-needed boost.
He said: "I am really delighted by this news that every school in Shropshire will receive even more for every pupil than they had been promised by this government.
"This is a great step forward? in reducing the unfairness of school funding for those in rural local authorities. It means our schools will get the resources they are entitled to and will help improve the quality of education for all children in Shropshire.
"This new money is part of the Government's long-term economic plan to help all young people to have the best schools and skills so that they can succeed in life."
Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, has also supported the move. He said: "We have got a fraction more than I first envisaged, however, we continue to lobby government on this issue until the difference between areas is further reduced so that Shropshire gets fairer settlement."
