Oral Answers to Questions

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

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

8. What progress the Government are making on ensuring that school funding is fairly distributed in rural areas.

[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%.

[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.

[Maria Caulfield]

Given that small rural schools in East Sussex are set to lose funding under the fairer funding formula, will the Minister review the need for those maintained schools to pay the apprenticeship levy, which adds to their costs, especially as fewer than half of the stand-alone academies pay that levy?

[Mr Gibb]

The apprenticeship levy is an important policy, as my hon. Friend will know. It is designed to ensure that we have the skills that are needed for our economy. The levy can be used to fund training and professional development in schools, and we will provide schools with detailed information on how the levy will work for them and how they can make the most of available apprenticeships.