Responding to Liz Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat candidate for Stone, Alec Sandiford said:
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by alecsandiford on 1 August, 2021
Schools in Staffordshire & Stoke-On-Trent are set to lose nearly £1.8 million in funding for their most disadvantaged pupils in the county, following the government’s decision to alter the method of calculating Pupil Premium funding.
The pupil premium, which aims to close the attainment gap by providing extra money to pupils eligible for free school meals, was a flagship reform introduced by the Liberal Democrats when they were in government in 2011.
Freedom Of Information requests by the Schools Week journal suggest that schools in Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent are set to lose nearly £1.8 million following the decision to base the funding on a school’s pupil numbers in October (rather than January, as previously calculated).
Alec Sandiford, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for North Staffordshire said:
“This cut shows the Conservatives are more focused on penny-pinching than on giving children the best possible education. As the attainment gap is widening, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, it is shameful that the Tories would seek to cut Staffordshire & Stoke-On-Trent’s pupil premium money.
“Liberal Democrats introduced the pupil premium and have had to fight the Tories to keep it properly funded. Given the financial pressure that families are under, this change has real potential to cause harm – and will have a direct impact on the quality of education schools can provide for those who are in desperate need of more, not less, support.
“This is a bad move at the worst possible time. The Government must listen to teachers about the reality on the ground, not pull away support when it is most needed.”
Liberal Democrat National Spokesperson for Education and Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said:
“Once again, disadvantaged school pupils are set to lose out as the Tories prioritise penny pinching over proper support. The Conservative Government must urgently rethink this decision or they run the risk of more disadvantaged children falling behind.”
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