A sting in the tail for schools: Conservatives call on Labour to come clean on £1.5 billion pupil premium cut
Today [Thursday 5th June 2025], the Conservative Party is calling
on the Labour government to come clean about a stealth cut to
school funding Hidden in the detail of their announcement about the
future of Free School Meals (FSM) was the fact that Labour is to
end the Transitional Protection put in place by the last
Conservative Government to protect FSM pupils during the rollout of
Universal Credit. This Transitional Protection currently allows
around 1.2 million extra...Request free
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Today [Thursday 5th June 2025], the Conservative Party is calling on the Labour government to come clean about a stealth cut to school funding Hidden in the detail of their announcement about the future of Free School Meals (FSM) was the fact that Labour is to end the Transitional Protection put in place by the last Conservative Government to protect FSM pupils during the rollout of Universal Credit. This Transitional Protection currently allows around 1.2 million extra pupils to get free school meals. That in turn attracts around 1.5 billion in funding for their schools, through the "Pupil Premium" for deprived pupils introduced under the last Conservative Government, because the two were linked by the last government. While the numbers losing FSM will be offset by changes to eligibility, the government has announced that they will break this link, and that those who are newly made eligible for FSM will not attract pupil premium funding. This breaking of the link means means that as schools lose pupil premium funding from the end of Transitional Protection their losses will not be offset by the changes to eligibility for those on UC made newly eligible. The pupils premium is worth up to £1,480 per child to primary schools, £1,050 for secondary school pupils and £2,570 for those who have been in care. The weighted average is around £1,280 pupil premium funding per pupil, and there are thought to be around 1.2 million children eligible for FSM at present because of Transitional Protection. This means they attract around £1.5 billion in extra funding for their schools - funding which will disappear once transitional protection ends in next year. The same issue applies to other funding linked to FSM, including home-to-school transport, and holiday clubs and food. Experts in the sector have also raised the alarm about this decision. Dr. Tammy Campbell, Director at the Education Policy Institute stated “there does not appear to be a clear rationale from government as to why the new free school meal eligibility criteria will not be reflected in pupil premium eligibility”. Carl Cullinane, Director of Research and Policy at the Sutton Trust warned that: “The government's decision not to extend pupil premium eligibility to those newly qualifying for free school meals under the expanded criteria risks undermining the support available to disadvantaged pupils”. Neil O'Brien MP, Shadow Education Minister, said: “It turns out there is a very nasty sting in the tail for school funding hidden in today's announcement on Free School Meals. “The decision to break the link to pupil premium funding for those who are newly eligible, taken together with the decision to end Transitional Protection means schools will lose £1.5 billion worth of funding. Education experts are already criticising the decision to break the link to pupil premium funding, and the government has provided no justification at all for this stealth cut." “The government already broke their promise to fully fund the national insurance tax increase for schools, creating a £400 million funding gap which is leading to teacher redundancies right now. They must now come clean about this further stealth cut to schools and stop trying to conceal cuts with smoke and mirrors.” ENDS Notes to Editors The Conservatives delivered free school meals for those who truly needed them, backed up with the funding for schools to deliver them:
Labour are not only taking away support from children, but are leaving schools to face a £1.5 million shortfall:
Labour's lies of lifting out 100,000 children from poverty next year have been denounced:
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