Shropshire schools to get extra £3.7 million funding

The money will come from central government, after the council claimed that funding reviews would leave it worse off.

Under the new national funding formula, primary schools will get minimum of £3,500 per pupil, with secondary schools getting £4,800.

In Shropshire Council's area that's an extra £3.7 million over two years.

Councillor Nick Bardsley, portfolio holder for children and young people, said: "I think we're pleased with the changes to the formula, we had lobbied hard as have other people.

"The proposals we had earlier this year would have disadvantaged an awful lot of Shropshire schools."

Telford & Wrekin Council also says it is getting "above average increases" but it is still working through the figures

Russell Griffin, a spokesman for the council, said: " It appears to be good news for mainstream schools in Telford & Wrekin as the illustrative allocations are showing a 2.7 per cent increase in funding per pupil in 2018/19 and an eventual seven per cent increase if the new National Funding Formula was fully implemented. Both of these figures are higher than the national average increases.

"It is less good news for high needs funding, as this is showing an increase of 2.8 per cent for T&W, which is nowhere near matching the demographic and other pressures in this area."

The new central school services block is just over £1m for Telford & Wrekin, compared to £3m from the former Education Services Grant was over £3m, so some benefits may be offset by demands on mainstream school budgets and high needs pressures.

Earlier this year, campaigners claimed that Shropshire's schools would lose a total of £13.4m in funding by 2019 in the original formula.

Unions said that it would lead to a shortfall of £394 per pupil and an equivalent loss of 360 teachers across Shropshire.

The government had proposed to re-allocate school budgets according to a new national funding formula and not increase funding per pupil in line with inflation.

In March, parents, teachers and union figures marched against the funding changes.