ASCL comment on EPI school funding analysis

Commenting on the analysis from the Education Policy Institute on the school funding allocations for 2021-22, Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“While we welcome the extra investment the government is putting into schools and its efforts to make the funding system fairer, the simple fact is that it isn’t enough money to do the job properly.

“The reason that the extra funding disproportionately benefits affluent pupils is that many of these children will be in schools in areas which have traditionally received the lowest funding rates and which are now being ‘levelled up’.

“These schools absolutely do need this extra money because they are in a dire financial situation.

“However, the problem is that many schools in deprived areas where funding rates are higher to support disadvantaged pupils, are getting lower uplifts, because the government isn’t putting enough money into the system to increase their funding to the same extent.

“In fact, we are concerned that some of these schools may be worse off in real terms because school costs are rising above inflation.”