, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary,
responding to new data showing schools will lose £90 million in
funding due to the Government’s change to the pupil premium
census date, said:
“The Government has finally admitted that schools are going to
lose out on funding because of their ill-thought through changes
to pupil premium. Far from having ‘no direct impact’ schools are
set to lose £90 million, hitting support for the children who’ve
struggled most to learn from home.
“The Government has treated children as an afterthought
throughout the last year, is severely underfunding children’s
recovery, and is stripping away support from the kids who need it
most. This is utterly unacceptable.
“Unlike the Conservatives, Labour would put children at the heart
of our recovery with a comprehensive plan to deliver the learning
and development opportunities every child needs to bounce back
from the pandemic.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- Pupil Premium is the mechanism by which schools get extra
government funding to help them improve the outcomes of pupils
classed as disadvantaged (including pupils eligible for free
school meals). The government have moved the date for calculating
pupil premium eligibility back from January to October, meaning
schools are missing out on additional funding for any child who
started claiming free school meals for the first time after
1stOctober 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium/pupil-premium
