I just wanted to say something about the ongoing consultation by the Brooke Weston Trust relating to the opening hours of their schools in Corby, having been contacted by a number of local parents about their concerns regarding the proposal.
I have of course made urgent contact with the Brooke Weston Trust to get to the bottom of this and to make known the understandable concerns being raised with me about this proposal which is currently being consulted upon, and am very happy to help individual parents raise any specific concerns if they make contact with me directly.
More generally, I have to say that I am surprised by any justification being given on the grounds of funding, as over the two years 2018/19 and 2019/20, per-pupil funding in Northamptonshire is going up by £172, which equates to 4.1% - compared to the national average of 3.2% - and when changes in pupil numbers are taken into account, total funding rises by £30.9 million, which is up 7.1% compared to 2017/18.
Northamptonshire will also receive £27.3 million in Pupil Premium funding, to support the 22,552 pupils eligible for Pupil Premium of all abilities to perform better, and close the gap between them and their peers.
I should also add that compared to 2010, as at November 2017, we had 55 more teachers in Northamptonshire and 490 more teaching assistants compared to 2011. And, on the specific issue of pension costs and salaries, following the welcome end of the 1% public sector pay cap, the Government is funding the unexpected additional cost of the pay award for teachers with £508 million over two years, over and above the amount schools had already been allocated. We are also covering the costs of increased pension contributions for state schools, and are also taking steps to address some of the areas of particular cost pressure that education has faced. One of these is High Needs, and Northamptonshire in particular will receive an additional £3.5 million over the two years, bringing the total High Needs block funding for two to 18 year-olds to £71.9 million in 2018/19 and £76.1 million in 2019/20.
Despite having successfully campaigned vigorously for this extra funding, I am conscious that all too often the debate is too focussed on figures and not enough on standards. It is worth remembering, therefore, that in Northamptonshire, three quarters of children now attend schools rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared with half in 2010. This decade, we are also on course to create a million new school places, with a big focus on this in our area given the housebuilding we are seeing, following the net loss of 100,000 places nationally in the six years up to 2010. In Northamptonshire, over 17,000 places have been added; this includes the establishment of 10 new Free Schools, with a further five new schools set to be built in the coming years.
As I say, I am very conscious of the concerns being raised and will do all I can to support parents in ensuring their concerns are properly heard by the Trust, who I would urge to pause for reflection and review their proposals, having taken on board that feedback.
Whilst I am mindful that there is always more to do, significant boosts in education funding locally have been made by the Government, but we must always work together in our community to improve opportunities for every young person to get a good education, drawing upon their particular skills and talents, and help them succeed. As someone who was comprehensively educated locally, I am passionate about this issue, and most recently, I held a meeting only a fortnight ago with local school leaders to discuss a number of issues relating to improving local education that I am assisting them with, and all Northamptonshire MPs meet regularly with the Schools Minister to discuss progress. This is my focus, rather than engaging in political knockabout on this important issue, when the actual figures tell a very different story to the rhetoric seen in some of the reporting on this.
You can read my full letter to Dr Andrew Campbell through the link below.