Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received from (a) schools and (b) local authorities on the efficacy of the indicators of deprivation used to calculate formulae for schools.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often need extra support at school to achieve as well as their peers. That is why, in addition to providing £2.5 billion this year through the pupil premium - which we have protected at current rates for the duration of the parliament - we also require local authorities to target funding for deprived pupils through their local formula.
Under current arrangements local authorities can choose between a pupil-level measure of disadvantage (pupils eligible for free school meals or eligible at any point in the previous 6 years) or an area-level measure of disadvantage (the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), or a combination. We are aware that the update to the area-level deprivation data last year led to some areas changing their local formulae to mitigate the impact on deprivation funding for their schools.
We recently launched the first stage of the consultation on our plans to introduce a national funding formula for schools from 2017. Our proposals would mean schools’ funding is matched fairly and transparently to their needs and their pupils’ characteristics. Through the consultation process we are seeking views on the best way to target funding for disadvantaged pupils to support them to achieve to the best of their ability.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission a technical review of the indicators of deprivation used to decide formulae for funding for (a) schools and (b) free school meals.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often need extra support at school to achieve as well as their peers. That is why, in addition to providing £2.5 billion this year through the pupil premium - which we have protected at current rates for the duration of the parliament - we also require local authorities to target funding for deprived pupils through their local formula.
Under current arrangements local authorities can choose between a pupil-level measure of disadvantage (pupils eligible for free school meals or eligible at any point in the previous 6 years) or an area-level measure of disadvantage (the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), or a combination. We are aware that the update to the area-level deprivation data last year led to some areas changing their local formulae to mitigate the impact on deprivation funding for their schools.
We recently launched the first stage of the consultation on our plans to introduce a national funding formula for schools from 2017. Our proposals would mean schools’ funding is matched fairly and transparently to their needs and their pupils’ characteristics. Through the consultation process we are seeking views on the best way to target funding for disadvantaged pupils to support them to achieve to the best of their ability.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received from heads of special educational needs schools on the increase in costs from national insurance and pension scheme contributions.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Department has received a large number of letters from headteachers about the increase in national insurance and pension scheme contributions, some of which have been from special schools.
We are committed to protecting schools funding, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, as pupil numbers increase so too will the amount of money for our schools.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to maintain the current level of skills funding for 16 to 18 year olds up to May 2020.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Decisions about how 16-19 institutions will be funded in the academic year 2016/17 and beyond will be subject to the outcome of the spending review, which will set the budget for education and other public spending for the coming years.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what impact assessment her Department (a) has carried out or (b) plans to carry out on the effects that changes to National Insurance and occupational pension scheme contributions will have on special educational needs schools budgets.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The employer contribution rate for the Teachers Pension Scheme can be seen at: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/employers/2014/10/tiered-contributions-changes.aspx. This followed a valuation of the scheme to secure its sustainability in the long-term. From April 2016, when the single tier state pension is introduced, the employer National Insurance rate for teachers will increase to the standard rate of 13.8%. As we develop our proposals for funding in future years we are looking carefully at changes to schools’ costs, including schools with provision for children with special educational needs. We are committed to protecting schools funding, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, as pupil numbers increase, so too will the amount of money for our schools.