Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Twigg Excerpts
Monday 11th September 2017

(7 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Justine Greening Portrait Justine Greening
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I can. The £1.3 billion we are investing in schools will ensure that the formula provides a cash increase of at least 1% per pupil by 2019-20 for every single school, including in my hon. Friend’s constituency, with gains of up to 3% per pupil per year for the most underfunded schools that need to catch up. For the time being, local authorities will still be responsible for finalising the distribution of funding to individual schools in their area, in consultation with those schools, but the money will be provided for all schools to gain from the new national funding formula.

Stephen Twigg Portrait Stephen Twigg (Liverpool, West Derby) (Lab/Co-op)
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In Liverpool and other cities, there is a real concern that the new formula could mean that schools lose out. Can the Secretary of State reassure the House that issues such as deprivation, prior attainment and mobility will be significant factors in any new formula?

Justine Greening Portrait Justine Greening
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I recognise the points that the hon. Gentleman makes. I was committed to making sure that we protected the funding for children with additional needs under this formula, and that is what I hope we will be able to do. It is, indeed, particularly important for communities such as his own.