William Wragg MP for Hazel Grove, has backed the Government's plans to introduce a fairer system of school funding.
William has made a submission as part of the Department for Education's current public consultation exercise on designing a new schools national funding formula.
Some local schools in the Hazel Grove constituency have long suffered lower levels of funding than similar schools elsewhere in the country, due to the allocation formula used by successive previous Government's.
In his submission William described the new policy as "the first important step in the move towards fairer funding for schools, which I welcome after a long campaign."
He went on to say in his evidence submitted to the consultation:
"It is vital that the arbitrary and unfair system of allocating school funding will be replaced by a fairer funding formula, so that similar pupils get the same funding, no matter what part of the country they live in. I therefore support the core principles of the new proposed funding system as set out in the consultation. Above all it should be the case that every school and local area, no matter where they are in the country, will be funded fairly, according to need.
These needs should particularly take into account the size of a school, age of pupils, prior attainment levels, levels of deprivation, and other exceptional circumstances. I would also urge that special attention be given to pupils with special educational needs, in both specialist school systems and those SEN pupils in mainstream schools."
As a former primary school teacher and school governor, William has been supporting the f40 campaign since becoming an MP in 2015. f40 represents a group of the lowest funded education authorities in England where Government-set cash allocations for primary and secondary pupils are the lowest in the country, which included the Stockport Local Authority.
His first every question in the House of Commons Chamber was to the Education Secretary about what plans she had to review the school funding formula. In October, William and 111 other MPs wrote to the Chancellor and the Prime Minister calling for fairer school funding, and also submitted a petition which was signed by hundreds of local parents and teachers from across the Hazel Grove constituency.
William said today; "As a former teacher and governor at schools in Greater Manchester local authority areas, I have seen first-hand the impact these funding disparities cause. I am delighted, that after working closely with the Education Department and Number 10, on behalf of my constituents, that their voice has been heard.
This consultation marks the first steps in seeing the funding allocation system improved and this unfairness redressed. I hope that teachers and school governors from right across the Hazel Grove constituency and Stockport area respond to the consultation to ensure the Government details of the new formula are right to provide a better and fairer funding for our schools."
The Department for Education consultation 'Schools national funding formula' is open until April 17th and is available here - https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-f…