Levelling up education standards across the country

Today our blog looks at new national minimum funding for pupils and our plans to tackle challenges faced by schools in the North East.

New minimum funding levels for pupils

Today the Prime Minister, joined by the Education Secretary, announced that every secondary school has been guaranteed at least £5,000 per pupil next year, and at least £3,750 for primaries, thanks to new legislation laid in Parliament.

By law, local authorities will now be required to make sure every school receives at least the minimum amount of funding pledged per pupil, ensuring that no school loses out because of their location.

Previously, local authorities were not required to allocate the money for schools in this way – with many schools across the country falling below the minimum levels of funding for each pupil.

This comes as part of our efforts to level up education standards across England backed by the government’s £14.4 billion boost to education in England over the next three years, ensuring that all young people receive an excellent education, regardless of where they grow up or go to school.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Levelling up education is the key to helping every child reach their full potential.

We’re guaranteeing the minimum level of funding for every pupil in every school so that, with a top class education, our children can go on to become the world’s future innovators, trail blazers and pioneers.

As we start a new chapter in our history, our younger generations will be front and centre of all that we do.

In August, the Prime Minister announced that the budget for schools and high needs would be increased by 6% (£2.6 billion) in 2020-21, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23 respectively – plus an extra £1.5 billion per year to fund additional pensions costs for teachers.

This new funding includes £780 million in 2020-21 to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Unleashing potential of the North East

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today outlined his plans to tackle challenges faced by schools in the north East through the £24 million Opportunity North East Programme.

It has been revealed that the £24 million investment will drive up standards in the North East by giving extra training to teachers, improving key secondary schools in the region, developing young people’s access to employers and universities and bolstering links between primary and secondary schools.

This comes as the Department publishes it’s delivery plan for the programme, setting out a series of ambitions to level up on educational outcomes and help young people in the region fulfil their potential.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

No child should be held back because of where they come from so it’s of the utmost importance that we level up aspirations for all children in all parts of the country.

Since we launched Opportunity North East, we have connected with expert school and business leaders in the North East to create more opportunities and offer tailored support so that we can tap into the outstanding talent we know exists in education across the region.

Our task now is to build on the foundations the programme has set down over the last year. This delivery plan sets out how we will drive this forward by strengthening training for teachers, providing bespoke school improvement support and opening up more career pathways for young people.