Oral Answers to Questions

David Ward Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr David Ward (Bradford East) (LD)]

15. What steps her Department is taking to make additional resources available to schools in areas that experience high levels of in-year admissions.

[The Minister for Schools (Mr David Laws)]

We have allowed local authorities to use a mobility factor in their local funding formulae to target additional funding at schools that had a high proportion of pupils entering in-year in the previous year.

[Mr Ward]

I am not sure whether the Minister has seen the figures for Bradford. If he has, he will know why I am asking this question. Recently, the Prime Minister said that

“there is no doubt that some communities face particular pressures… I think a fund that can more directly help those communities would be very worthwhile and that is what we are going to put in our manifesto”.

If there is a need right now, why should the money not be made available right now?

[Mr Laws]

I would be very happy to talk to my hon. Friend about this matter. In 2014-15, Bradford local authority allocated almost £1 million to schools that experienced high in-year fluctuations in pupil numbers. In addition, it allocated £1.7 million to help schools provide new places to cope with population growth. In January, we will allocate further basic need funding across the country.