A CALL has been made for the Government to address a city/county divide in school funding in Notts.
The Government has launched a consultation on drawing up a new national funding formula (NFF) for schools to make it fairer.
The f40 group has been campaigning for changes to the system which it claims favours schools in the south of England over ones in the north.
But NASUWT Notts member Joe Jefferies, who is also on the f40 Executive Committee, said the gap in funding between Nottingham and Notts should also be addressed.
Mr Jefferies said: "For years the f40 has been pointing out the unfairness of the current system which is a mish-mash of historical funding streams and grants. In Notts, the average funding for a child in a county school is �1,000 less than for a child in a city school.
"A small county school of 250 pupils loses out, on average, to the tune of �250,000 while a county school of 1,500 will have a budget that is �1.5million less than a similar city school."
Schools in Notts received �4,746.05 per pupil in 2010-11, compared with �5,712.72 per pupil in the city.
The amounts are set to remain the same in 2011-12.
Mr Jefferies said: "The f40 group are hopeful that the consultation on NFF will result in a better system and finally wipe out the unfairness that allows the gap between city and county to get worse every year because of percentage increases. However, we don't want any school to lose out; we want the 'have-nots' to catch up with the 'haves'."
Schools in England received an average of �5,082.53 per pupil in 2010-11.
Schools in the City of London received the highest amount of anywhere in the country, with a total of �9,372.60 per student.
The Government is seeking views of parents, teachers, schools, unions and local authorities about the current system.
It is also asking whether a new system would result in a fairer outcome for schools.
Funding is currently based on calculations that date back to at least 2005.
The Government's vision is for schools in similar circumstances and with similar intakes of pupils to receive similar levels of funding. It also wants to support a diverse range of school provision, including academies and free schools.
Schools Minister Lord Hill said: "Headteachers tell us that the current funding system is unfair and illogical.
"Addressing the disparities and inequalities within our school system is a top priority for the coalition Government. For standards to improve, all pupils must get the support they are entitled to.
"This consultation is the first step to ensuring fairer funding for all."
The Government is also consulting on potential options for funding academies next year.
There are currently 629 academies in the country, compared with 203 in May 2010.
Both consultations close on Wednesday, May 25.
For details visit www.education.gov.uk/consultations
 |  |
Wigan Athletic Gabriel Agbonlahor US supreme court Peter Atherton Aston villa The FA
No comments:
Post a Comment