National Funding Formula: Schools/High Needs

John Bercow Excerpts

Wednesday 14th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

Wishing the fellow a full recovery, I call Mr Julian Knight.

[Julian Knight (Solihull) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome both the substance and the tone of the statement. Schools in Solihull receive £1,300 a year less per pupil than those in nearby Birmingham. As a result, we lose teachers to Birmingham. Will the Secretary of State assure me that at least some of that unfairness will be addressed during this Parliament?

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

It slightly pains me to call an Everton supporter today, but I do so nevertheless.

[Andy Burnham (Leigh) (Lab)]

I will keep the gloating to a minimum, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State is dressing it up very well, but the reality of what she has announced is that some schools in the most deprived parts of the country, which face the biggest challenges, will have money taken away from them and given to schools elsewhere. Would it not have been much fairer for her to have asked the Chancellor for more money to bring the gap up that way? Instead, she is making schools in the toughest areas make teachers redundant to pay for this change.