Shropshire schools will see a £7 million added to budgets under revised formula
Shropshire schools will see a £7 million added to budgets as Education Secretary Gavin Williamson moves to transform the funding formula.
Under the settlement the county's schools will receive £181m in 2021 or an increase of 4.1 per cent while 'high needs' funding will increase by 10.5 per cent per head.
Secondary schools will attract a minimum of £5,150 per pupil – up from £5,000 this year – while primary schools will get at least £4,000 per pupil, up from £3,750.
Critics claim the increases would still leave schools worse off than they were when the Conservatives first came to power in 2010.
But the Government said the revised formula has replaced a previously unfair and outdated system, where schools with similar characteristics received very different levels of funding with little or no justification.
It has estimated that two thirds of councils now allocate school cash based on the national funding formula.
Schools are also set to receive significant investment from the Government’s £1 billion Covid catch-up package next academic year.
Mr Williamson said: “This year has been incredibly challenging for schools, teachers, and students due to the Covid-19 outbreak, with everyone working in education going to incredible lengths to support children and ensure they can get back to the classroom."
