Telford & Wrekin’s Cabinet approves funding increase for all pupils
Schools in Telford and Wrekin will receive more funding per pupil next year, after Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet approved the school funding formula for 2022/23.
At their meeting on Thursday 6 January, the cabinet agreed to increase funding per pupil by 2%, the maximum funding increase permitted by the National Minimum Funding Guarantee, which allows local authorities to increase schools funding by between 0.5% and 2% per pupil.
The increase brings the total dedicated school grant fund for Telford and Wrekin in 2022/23 to £143 million, and the new funding will come into effect for maintained schools from 1 April 2022 and for academies from 1 September 2022. The fund does not cover nursery schools, special schools or independent schools in the borough.
At the cabinet meeting, members also agreed to support the borough’s growing schools by basing funding on estimated pupil numbers, rather than actual numbers, to avoid the delay in money reaching those schools where pupil numbers are expected to increase.
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said:
“Last year was the first year that we were able to fully apply the Department for Education's National Funding Formula, when funding for Telford and Wrekin’s schools finally caught up national rates following three years of transitional funding increases given to underfunded authorities.
“For 2022/23 we have agreed to include an increase in funding of 2% per pupil, the maximum allowable by government, bringing the total budget for school funding to £143 million.
“However, despite this increase it should be noted that there is a proposal to reduce the School Monitoring and Brokering Grant for maintained schools. If the government go ahead with their proposal it would mean a reduction of £90,000 this year and a further £90,000 next year which, in effect is a cut in education funding for maintained schools. This is a shortfall that must then be found from elsewhere in order to continue to provide this statutory service.”
“As we continue to invest and build a better borough, so our population and the need for schooling grows too. That’s why cabinet has also agreed to provide funding based upon estimated pupil numbers, so that there is no delay in our growing schools receiving the funding that is due to them as their pupil numbers increase.”
