Cambridgeshire demands fairer deal on education spending from Government

The county council is joining with others across the country to ask Government for a rethink.

As children go back to school all across Cambridgeshire this week, the County Council is calling on the Government to give the county a fairer deal on education spending, ahead of further consultation on a national funding formula this month.

The current funding formula, dating back to 2005, has led to county schools being underfunded for a number of years, with a gap of 47 per cent between the average per pupil funding received by counties and Inner London.

This means a £2,000 gap per pupil, per year given by government to spend on Cambridgeshire children compared to some other areas of the country.

Cambridgeshire is currently ranked 120th out of 151 local authorities in terms of money received per pupil via the Schools Block element of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Cllr Steve Count, Cambridgeshire County Council leader, said: “We are joining with county councils across the UK to ask our MPs to take a message to the government to make some changes to their Funding Formula plans.”

“We support the County Council’s Network in asking for removal of the cap on gains during the transition period and also a sufficient rate of lump sum payment so that small rural schools receive adequate funding to remain viable without the need for a sparsity factor.”