Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the next stage of the Government’s three-year funding commitment for schools.
Last year the Government announced the biggest cash boost to school funding in a decade, worth a total of £14.4 billion over three years. The Prime Minister announced that the budget for schools and high needs would be increased by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20.
The second year of that three-year funding commitment has been delivered this week and provisional school and high needs funding allocations for 2021-22 have been published.
Nus Ghani is delighted that on average, funding per pupil in Wealden will increase by 4.5% in 2021-22 to an average of £4,877 per pupil. Primary schools across Wealden will benefit from an average of £4,477 per pupil and for Secondary schools the average is £5,556 per pupil.
The Government will also provide a ‘catch up’ package for the next academic year, worth a total of £1bn, to help support children and young people to catch up after the recent period of unprecedented disruption to their education.
This extra funding will increase access to high quality tuition for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, helping to accelerate their academic progress and tackling the attainment gap between them and their peers.
However, there is more work to be done and as we see the signs of the virus retreating, we must plan for schools across Wealden to have all the available resources they need as they reopen their doors to pupils in September.
Nus Ghani said: “This is brilliant news for schools across Wealden. Every child should have the chance to succeed in life and that starts with access to a good education. The boost in funding will give every parent confidence that their children are getting the best start in life, enabling them to fulfil their potential.”
“As the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the essential role that schools play in our communities is apparent. I am glad that in addition to the three-year boost in funding for schools, the Government is also ensuring that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time.”
Schools’ NFF allocations are also available to view on a user-friendly tool here.
