Asked by: George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain - Rochdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the level of real-terms funding since 2010 on schools in Rochdale constituency; and if she will make it her policy to increase the level of real-term funding for schools in Rochdale constituency to 2010 levels.
Answered by Damian Hinds
This government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children and has invested significantly in education to achieve that. Overall school funding, including the recently announced additional pensions funding, is rising to £60.7 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This means that real terms funding for schools in England has increased rather than decreased since 2010.
Through the National Funding Formula (NFF), funding is distributed fairly based on the needs of each school and their pupils and all schools attract a per pupil increase in funding. Mainstream schools in the Rochdale Constituency are attracting an extra £1 million in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24 through the schools NFF, which is an increase of 1.9% per pupil in their pupil-led funding. This means schools in the Rochdale Constituency will attract over £112.1 million, based on the schools NFF. Constituency figures are based on an aggregation of school-level allocations through the NFF, and final allocations will depend on the local authority’s funding formula.
Asked by: George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain - Rochdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set up an England-wide task force similar to the London Challenge to ensure that children who cannot read well are brought up to the required standard.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.
To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.
For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.
The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.
The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.
Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.
Asked by: George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain - Rochdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the reasons for poor literacy among primary school children from (a) low income and (b) other families; what steps she is taking to ensure that all children are able to read well when they leave primary school; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.
To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.
For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.
The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.
The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.
Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.
Asked by: George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain - Rochdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will visit Bradford West constituency to observe the issue of children who are leaving primary school who are unable to read well; and if she will take steps to eradicate that problem.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.
To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.
For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.
The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.
The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.
Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.