Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Ruth Cadbury Excerpts
Monday 4th July 2016

(7 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: educational standards and attainment have improved dramatically, in London in particular, over the past decade or so thanks to teachers, parents and pupils in London. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made very clear, the purpose of the funding formula reforms is to fund need, so where there is need in London it will be funded on the same basis as need in other parts of the country.

Ruth Cadbury Portrait Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)
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Is the Minister aware that schools in my constituency in west London are already having to implement the biggest cuts to their budgets they have ever made? Will he assure the head teachers I met this morning that there will be no further cuts when fair funding comes in?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made it very clear: the core education budget of £40 billion is the highest amount ever invested in education. We are supporting our schools to achieve educational excellence everywhere. We are reforming the funding formula to ensure that that excellence can be delivered across all schools, rather than it being determined by a postcode lottery, as it is at the moment.