NEU comments on Government announcement on Opportunity Areas Funding

Commenting on the Department for Education's latest announcement of funding for 12 Opportunity Areas, and their role in the Government's pandemic recovery plan, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“Additional investment in education is always welcomed and a good thing. This funding is crucial to help reverse the impact of the coronavirus on education in those areas. However, this is a drop in the ocean in terms of the actual funding and investment needed across the education sector. The NEU calculated that school funding needed £12.6bn in the recent three-year funding settlement to bring funding amounts back to pre-austerity levels. The government delivered £7.1bn, which is a good start, but not enough. The NEU will continue calling on the government to increase funding for all schools, academies, maintained nursery schools, Sixth Forms and Colleges in dire need of proper investment and resources.”