MP prepares to show schools Minister problems with funding

Although performing well – GCSE results by East Riding pupils are above the national average – educationally it is one of the most underfunded areas in the country.

East Riding Council receives £4,613.11 per pupil compared to an England average of £5,082.53 – making it the 149th lowest funded out of the 154 local authorities.

Now the Tory MP Graham Stuart, who is chairman of the Commons education select committee and who invited Mr Gove to the East Riding, said it was time for a “level playing field”.

The Beverley and Holderness MP called Mr Gove’s visit “great news”, and said: “I am looking forward to showing Michael around some of our schools and showing him the particular problems they face.

“The previous Government gave insufficient weight within a very complex formula to the costs of delivering education in rural areas.

“In a large area like the East Riding of 937 square miles and a sparse population there are a lot of issues for delivering services and that’s one of the reasons the (coalition) Government said it would like to move to a national funding formula so it will be a more helpful system.

“One of the issues we’ll be emphasising is the challenges of delivering education in a rural area. I have always said a level playing field on funding will see schools in the East Riding perform even better.”

Mr Stuart said he would also like to see the Government be bold enough to reward success, even though this was sometimes politically difficult.

He said: “Despite the low funding the local authority and headteachers have managed to deliver above-average performance, but the Government needs to be as good as its word in rewarding those who deliver, rather than punishing them by saying ‘you’re great’.

“All governments say they will reward success and punish failure, but all governments do the opposite because of political pressure to bail out those who are failing.”

He added: “Another issue we’ll raise is the East Riding has to address some serious challenges to narrow the gap between average attainment and the attainment of its poorest children, children on free school meals, because the gap here is wider than in other authorities in England.

“Hopefully, the pupil premium (targeting additional resources to disadvantaged children) will ensure we do a better job of serving the needs of children from poorer families. We want fair opportunity for all.”

A total of 58.6 per cent of East Riding pupils achieved the benchmark five GCSE passes at A* to C, including English and maths, while the England average was 55.3 per cent.

Education officials are delighted by the East Riding’s success in view of the funding disparity.

Mike Furbank, head of improvement and learning at East Riding Council, said: “We are proud of the work done by young people throughout the East Riding with the support of their carers and families.

“We greatly appreciate the hard work of headteachers and school staff that has contributed to the significant improvements in learners’ results in our schools over the last few years. That they achieve this against a backdrop of poor funding for education is a testament to their determined commitment to their pupils’ achievement.

“We are not, however, complacent and will continue to work closely with schools to make sure that every child does their very best at all times.”

Some schools are experiencing real difficulties, however.

One of the schools Mr Gove will visit on Friday is St Nicholas Primary School in Beverley, which is in “special measures” – judged to be failing by education watchdog Ofsted.