Exclusive: Gove urged to rethink school funding reforms

EDUCATION Secretary Michael Gove has been urged to listen to a council’s concerns over school funding reforms that have left it the third worst financed authority in the country.
Education Secretary Michael GoveEducation Secretary Michael Gove
Education Secretary Michael Gove

A new formula was introduced in April, which saw East Riding Council slip towards the foot of the funding table and is likely to cause the closure of three primary schools.

Department for Education (DfE) officials met council officers, headteachers and the portfolio holder in February to hear their concerns. A highly critical report of the meeting says solutions suggested by the DfE were impracticable, involved “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, and were suspected of being “contrary to the regulations”.

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John Wilson, assistant director of children and young people at the council, said: “The single most important thing is that the Government ceased to allow local authorities to choose different sizes of lump sums for different phases or sizes of school. In the past we had different sizes of lump sums ... and that gave us flexibility to manage better.

“Simplifying it doesn’t make it easier. That simplification means we don’t have the flexibility to manage our funding to meet the complex and different needs of schools in towns, villages, and even isolated communities.”

Asked if he had one message for Mr Gove, he said: “Listen”.

The DfE said it was currently reviewing the system, but added: “These changes ensure that schools are funded on a more consistent and transparent basis and give headteachers and governors a greater say in how they spend their money.”