Rural pupils 'to lose as much as £2,500 each' under schools funding formula

Teesdale’s MP Helen Goodman has highlighted concerns about the future of schooling in the dale ahead of the government’s plans to revise the funding formula.
In a letter circulated to Bishop Auckland constituents, Ms Goodman laid out the funding changes which are anticipated from a government shake-up. The changes will see schools with more pupils receive more money.
According to Ms Goodman’s figures, the introduction of the national funding formula means the average cut across the whole of the constituency is eight per cent between 2013/14 and 2019/20. This would mean that all but one of 20 schools across the dale would experience a cut do between one and 28 per cent, Ms Goodman said.
Cotherstone Primary School is the only school in Teesdale which would see a three per cent increase – which works out to be £181 more per child.
Gainford Primary School will suffer the smallest cut of one per cent, which is equal to £56 per child. Headteacher Howard Blindt has already announced he is leaving the school so they can save on his salary.
Meanwhile, the latest figures suggest that staff at Montalbo Nursery and Primary School, in Barnard Castle, will be experiencing a total cut of 15 per cent over the seven-year period, a funding change of £762 per child.
By Ms Goodman’s reckoning, Hamsterley Primary School will be worst off with a cut of 28 per cent –  £2,504 less per child.  
 Ms Goodman wrote: “Parents and grandparents have contacted me about this and local headteachers have told me they are having to cut staff including teachers, restrict the subjects children can learn and increase class sizes.
“I was concerned about this so I asked government ministers about this in Parliament.
“Ministers’ response to my questions is that the total core schools budget is increasing.”
Ms Goodman is seeking the views of constituents about the issue and asked what they believe the implications are of such reductions going ahead.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The government has protected the core schools budget in real terms since 2010, with school funding at its highest level on record at almost £41billion in 2017-18 – and that is set to rise, as pupil numbers rise over the next two years, to £42 billion by 2019-20.
“We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, which is why we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways and make efficiencies.
“This includes improving the way they buy goods and services and our recently published School Buying Strategy is designed to help schools save over £1billion a year
by 2019-20 on non-staff spend.”