Oral Answers to Questions

Helen Goodman Excerpts

Monday 19th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Nadhim Zahawi]

Local government spending for all services, including children’s services, is £200 billion. We do see leadership as a driver of better outcomes for those children. That is why we are making the investment, including the £15 million that we announced for eight more partners in practice, which help local authorities that are struggling. For example, Leeds is helping Kirklees.

[Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Lab)]

2. What assessment he has made of the financial effect of the new national funding formula on schools in England.

[Judith Cummins (Bradford South) (Lab)]

13. What assessment he has made of the financial effect of the new national funding formula on schools in England.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds)]

The new national funding formula means that funding will finally be distributed based on the needs and characteristics of every school in the country. It is supported by an additional £1.3 billion, which means that we will maintain school and high-needs funding in real terms per pupil for the next two years.

[Helen Goodman]

Twenty-four of the 44 maintained schools in the Bishop Auckland constituency will lose in real terms, taking account of inflation. Many have high levels of deprivation and large free school meal entitlement. How can the Secretary of State justify that?

[Damian Hinds]

Of course, the formula rightly takes account of deprivation in the way that the hon. Lady mentions. If the funding formula were implemented in full in the Bishop Auckland constituency, based on the 2017-18 pupil data, funding would increase by £981,000 or 1.9%.