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WOKINGHAM’S schools could get a much-needed funding boost after the Secretary of State for Education announced a £1.3 billion cash injection this week.
Education secretary Justine Greening MP announced on Monday the government would allocate the funds over two years, in a move that has been welcomed by local campaigners.
Jo Yurky, the co-founder of the Fair Funding For All Schools campaign, said: “There is much to welcome in the Secretary of State’s announcement.
“It is great to see the government finally accept there is a need for more schools funding. Ministers spent the last two years consistently dismissing the concerns of parents, school leaders and teaching unions.
“Campaigns like ours have forced them to change direction. They announced more funding in their election manifesto and they’ve done so again today. This has to be positive news.
“This is an amazing turn-round from the state of delusion and denial Ministers were in just a few months ago. A testament to the power of our campaigning. The way we forced school funding to become a pivotal election issue sent shockwaves through the government.
“These announcements will make a difference to schools over the next two years – but we will be keen to see the details.”
The announcement came less than 24 hours after campaigners descended on London for a Carnival Against the Cuts on Sunday.
In the statement released on Monday, the education secretary admitted that resources had not been reaching the schools in most need.
Ms Greening said: “We know that the current funding system is unfair, opaque and out of date and this means that, although we hold schools against the same accountability structure wherever they are, we fund them at very different levels. In addition, resources are not reaching the schools that need them most.
“School funding is at a record high because of the choices we have made to protect and increase school funding even as we faced difficult decisions elsewhere to restore our country’s finances, but we recognise that at the election people were concerned about the overall level of funding for schools as well as its distribution.
“As the Prime Minister has said, we are determined to listen. That is why I am today confirming our plans to get on with introducing a national funding formula in 2018-19.”
Wokingham MP John Redwood, who was lambasted during the General Election campaign for not doing enough to pressure the government for more funding for local schools, welcomed the announcement.
Writing on his online blog on Monday, Mr Redwood said: “I was pleased today that the Secretary of State announced £1300 million more for English schools across 2018-19 and 2019-20.
”I had been pressing her and the Treasury hard to make more money available in total for schools, as had others.
“She went on to explain that “we are able to increase the percentage allocated to pupil led factors and this formula settlement to 2019-20 will provide at least £4,800 per pupil for every secondary school”.
“Again I with others had pressed for more of the money to be granted as a per pupil payment so that Councils like Wokingham and West Berkshire would benefit fully.”
And Bracknell MP, Dr Phillip Lee said the announcement proved the government was listening.
He said: “This was a major issue during the run-up to the recent election, with many schools pointing out to me the financial pressures they are facing.
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message that the government is listening and that we are committed to raising standards and giving every child the best possible education and the best possible opportunities for their future.”
