Selaine Saxby MP has welcomed extra funding from the Conservative Government, providing schools in North Devon with £2,511,177 in extra funding, as part of £2 billion this year and next for primary schools and secondary schools in England.
Every state school in England will receive extra cash following the additional £2 billion investment. A typical primary school will receive approximately an extra £35,000, and £200,000 for a typical secondary school.
Schools will receive their first payment by 10 May 2023 and will be able to choose how best to invest the extra funding, including to pay for teacher salary uplifts and teaching assistants.
The remainder of the £2 billion funding boost will be used to increase Pupil Premium funding rates, which are rising by five per cent in 2023–24. This extra funding will support disadvantaged pupils, local authorities’ high needs budgets and special schools.
Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon said:
“I am committed to delivering on our community’s priorities, including investing in a high quality schools to support young people to reach their full potential, particularly those who face challenges or who need extra support.”
“This extra funding for schools in North Devon from the Conservative Government, as part of £2 billion in extra school funding this year and next across England is delivering the highest real terms spending on schools in history.”
“There is also a welcome news on the consultation on the National Funding Formula (NFF) which is used to allocate school funding, considering a range of factors such as the number of pupils, their needs and the school site.
Among the changes being introduced, and in recognition of falling pupil numbers across some areas of the country, is the removal of a requirement for schools to be Ofsted rated good or outstanding in order to be eligible for additional funding to help manage a significant decline in pupil numbers.
The consultation response sets out changes to the formula from 2024-25 and reconfirms the Department of Education’s commitment to move to a ‘direct’ NFF, in which funding for individual schools will be set by a single, national formula – rather than each local authority having its own local formula to allocate funding for individual schools. The changes will make the system fairer, more efficient, and predictable. Something that Head Teachers in North Devon have raised with me over the years as being a change they wanted to see.”
Commenting, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:
“I am hugely grateful to all our fantastic teachers, school leaders and support staff for all their incredible work and the immeasurable impact they have on the lives of children every day.
“Teachers must continue to have the resources they need, and this extra cash will make sure that they do.
“With school funding set to be at its highest ever level next year, even accounting for inflation, parents everywhere can be confident schools are being supported to let teachers get on and do what they do best - teach.”
