Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to provide meals for disadvantaged school children during school holidays in 2020 in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
During the 2018 summer holidays the Department awarded £2 million to 7 organisations to deliver free healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children. With this money, the Department were able to support more than 280 clubs and reach around 18,000 children.
In 2019, this funding was more than quadrupled to explore a model of local coordination of free holiday provision in 11 local authority areas, reaching around 50,000 children.
In 2020, the Department will again invest £9 million to support children and their families. Officials are currently processing the bids received and the Department will announce the outcome and the chosen organisations and locations in due course. This has been a competitive bidding process and all areas were able to apply for this funding.
The scheme operates in England only as education is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding he has allocated to support (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils with special educational needs in Liverpool, West Derby constituency; and how that allocation compares with the average funding level across England.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We recently announced £780 million additional high needs funding for 2020-21, a 12% rise bringing the total to over £7 billion. Every local authority in England will see an increase in high needs funding of at least 8% per head of population aged 2 to 18. Liverpool will receive £57.9 million in total high needs funding next year. The department does not break down high needs funding by constituency.
When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This top-up funding, and funding for special schools, comes from the local authority’s high needs budget.
We have also allocated £365 million special provision capital funding to local authorities in England from 2018 to 2021, to increase number of places available locally and enhance facilities for children with the most complex SEND. This could include re-purposing areas so that they meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what effect the national funding formula for schools has had on levels of socioeconomic inequality in (a) Liverpool, West Derby constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Liverpool City Region.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The National Funding Formula commits extra funding for pupils with additional needs, based on levels of deprivation, low prior attainment, English as an additional language and mobility. This is because evidence shows that pupils with these characteristics are more likely to fall behind, and need extra support to reach their full potential.
In 2020-21, £6.3 billion will be allocated in the national funding formula for 5-16 year olds with additional needs in England. Areas with high levels of additional needs will attract more funding and, as a result Liverpool, West Derby constituency and the local authority of Liverpool will receive higher than average per pupil funding. Next year, primary schools and secondary schools in the Liverpool, West Derby constituency will attract, on average, £4,626 and £5,775 per pupil respectively. Across the local authority of Liverpool they will attract on average £4,560 and £5,744 per pupil respectively. In both cases, this is above the national average of £4,352 for primary schools and £5,578 for secondary schools.
In 2020-21, the local authorities that make up the Liverpool City Region (Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helen’s and Wirral) will receive a total cash increase of £49.2 million in additional schools funding. Overall, these local authorities will receive a 5.1% increase in their total cash funding.