Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Daniel Kawczynski and Nick Gibb

Monday 6th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Nick Gibb]

We looked carefully at that issue. We found that controlled assessments were consuming vast amounts of teaching time and a culture of resits was taking up more teaching time. Ofqual said that the controlled assessment system was not the most reliable way of assessing pupils.

[Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)]

11. What steps she has taken to inform parents about changes in the level of education spending.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Daniel Kawczynski and Nick Gibb

Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Maria Caulfield (Lewes) (Con)]

16. What support the Government plan to provide for small rural schools as a result of the proposed national funding formula.

[The Minister for School Standards (Mr Nick Gibb)]

Under the proposed formula, small rural schools will gain an average of 1.3% in funding, on the basis of the illustrative figures. We have also confirmed that the national funding formula will include a sparsity factor. That will particularly target funding on small and remote schools, which we know play an important role in our local communities. On average, small schools serving such communities would gain 3.3%, and small primary schools 5.3%.

[Daniel Kawczynski]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Under these proposals, some Shrewsbury schools will benefit and others will lose. Overall as a country, we still see the extraordinary situation in which, on average, Shropshire pupils can get as little as half that of inner-city children. How can he justify parts of the United Kingdom continuing to get almost double what we get in Shropshire?

[Mr Gibb]

In Shropshire as a whole, school funding rises from £151.7 million to £153.2 million as a result of the national funding formula based on the illustrative figures. That is a rise of some 0.9%. In my hon. Friend’s constituency, schools as a group will see an additional £100,000 of funding.