Funding hope for Shropshire schools

A Shropshire education chief today said there was now a 'better chance than ever before' for the county's schools to get more money for their pupils following a shift in policy by the government.

Shropshire is one of the worst-funded areas in the country in terms of cash per pupil which local authorities receive from central government through the Dedicated Schools Grant.

MPs and councillors have been campaigning for years over the 'unfair' system and have tried to lobby the government for a change in the way cash is distributed across the UK.

The government is currently consulting on school funding reforms and David Taylor, director of people's services at Shropshire Council, said it could pave the way for increased cash for the county.

He said: "The government is consulting on a national formula for distributing funding.

"There is some light at the end of the tunnel and there is a better chance than ever before to push for a change."

Mr Taylor said that the way the grant was currently dished did not take into account deprivation in rural areas and the challenges of providing education in a sparsely populated county like Shropshire.

A group which represents poorly-funded authorities, including Shropshire Council, last month gave a cautious welcome to consultation on funding reform

The Government has announced it is proposing a new, fairer and more transparent school funding system.

The system will introduce a new national formula to allocate money more consistently, whilst allowing a degree of local flexibility to meet specific needs where agreed by schools.

The government is carrying out a three month consultation on the reforms. It closes on October 11.