(The Minister of State for School
Standards): Today I am confirming the school and
early years funding allocations for 2018-19. This announcement
covers the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), the Education Services
Grant (ESG) protections for academies, and the Pupil Premium.
This is supported by the additional £1.3bn for schools and high
needs over the next two years that the Secretary of State for
Education announced in July.
As previously announced, the distribution of the DSG to local
authorities will be set out in four blocks for each authority: a
schools block, a high needs block, an early years block, and the
new central school services block.
On 14 September, the Secretary of State for Education announced a
new national funding formula for schools and high needs from
April 2018. This follows the introduction of a national funding
formula for early years in April 2017. This is an historic
reform. The new national funding formulae will direct resources
where they are most needed, helping to ensure that every child
has the high quality education that they deserve, wherever they
live.
The schools block has been allocated between local authorities on
the basis of the primary and secondary units of funding published
in September 2017.
The allocations for the high needs block have been updated with
the latest pupil numbers, following the publication of
provisional allocations in September indicating how much each
local authority was likely to receive. The high needs block
supports provision for pupils and students with special
educational needs and disabilities (SEND), up to the age of 25,
and alternative provision for pupils who cannot receive their
education in schools.
The new central school services block which funds local
authorities for their ongoing responsibilities for both academies
and maintained schools has also been allocated on the basis of
the latest pupil numbers, in line with September’s announcement.
The early years block comprises funding for: the free early
education entitlements for 3- and 4-year-olds and disadvantaged
2-year-olds, supplementary funding for maintained nursery
schools; the early years Pupil Premium, and the Disability Access
Fund. The early years national funding formula rates for 3- and
4-year-olds for 2018-19 were published on 17 November, and today
we have announced initial allocations for this block.
We will maintain the ESG protections in 2018-19 at their current
rates, to protect academies from excessive changes in funding as
a result of the ending of the ESG.
The pupil premium per pupil amounts will be protected at the
current rates, with the exception of the pupil premium plus,
which will increase from £1,900 per pupil to £2,300, as
previously announced. The amounts for 2018-19 will be:
|
Pupils
|
Per pupil rate
|
|
Disadvantaged pupils: Primary
|
£1,320
|
|
Disadvantaged pupils: Secondary
|
£935
|
|
Pupil Premium Plus: Looked After Children (LAC) and those
adopted from care or who leave care under a Special
Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order (formally
known as a residence order).
|
£2,300
|
|
Service children
|
£300
|
A looked after child is defined in the Children Act 1989 as one
who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an
English or Welsh local authority.
Pupil Premium allocations for financial year 2018-19 will be
published in June 2018 following the receipt of pupil number data
from the spring 2018 schools and alternative provision censuses.
