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Nick Gibb “comfortable” with how schools handle cost pressures

Labour MP for Newcastle North Catherine McKinnell has pressed the Schools Minister during an Education Committee session, on whether he was “comfortable” with the way schools have been dealing with cost pressures.

21481962596_80d938ab6d_kThis comes after school leaders told MPs of being forced to make teaching and support staff redundant and cut other costs just to stay afloat, with one Head Teacher revealing that he’d cut teaching “to the bare bones” in his school.

Mr Gibb said that despite it being challenging, the Government is providing advice and support to schools about how to manage a budget “in the most efficient way”.

Last week, during a similar session with the Committee, the Schools Minister insisted that the new funding formula will be fairer and the Department is trying its best to deal with “an historic budget deficit”.

Mr Gibb added: “It could be argued that this is the wrong time to introduce a national funding formula,” he said.

“I would argue that it is precisely the right time, when schools are facing those cost pressures, to ensure that the money that we do have is distributed fairly and according to need.”

However, SCHOOLS NorthEast analysis of the proposed formula showed that while the majority of schools in the region (6 in 10) would see a slight increase in funding, the headline masks a legacy of underfunding for schools in the North East.

The Government’s attempt to more fairly redistribute school funding will be worth around £1,500 per school in our region, despite the North East lagging national average funding by £45m a year.

 

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