Schools in the poorest areas of England are hardest hit by the pupil fee change | school finance

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The Observer has revealed that schools in the poorest part of England will be hit hard by a controversial change in how the government allocates student tuition to pupils.

Typically, the government provides funding for each school in England based on the number of children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) in January of the previous school year.

But this year’s funding will be based on the number of FSM children in each school in October 2020 rather than January 2021 — meaning schools will lose student tuition funding for FSM children who enroll between those months.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by monitors shows that the financial impact will be greater in poorer areas. Each school in 10% of the most disadvantaged areas in England registered an average of seven additional pupils in the Federated States of Micronesia between October 2020 and January 2021, compared to 2.6 additional pupils in the Federated States of Micronesia in each school in the least disadvantaged locations.

The Observer figures cover 17,048 schools in 117 local authorities – nearly 80% of all local authorities in England.

Most boards have not yet calculated the financial impact of the change in history on each school. But Haringey, in London, estimated a total loss of £691,110 in pupil tuition funding due to the change in date, with one school in a particularly disadvantaged part of the town set to lose £44,385. This year’s School Week website estimated the total funding loss for schools in England at around £125m.

Kevin Courtney, National Education Union Teachers’ Union Joint Secretary, said: “The turnaround in census history means that a significant number of disadvantaged pupils have been lost due to the increase in provision of FSM. Schools will suffer further with their finances but the government is refusing to compensate.”

“Schools and pupils lose out not only on pupil premiums themselves, but on other elements such as funding for recovery from the associated pandemic,” said John Andrews, head of analysis at the Education Policy Institute.

“We know from government figures that nationally, there are about 60,000 fewer pupils who are eligible for pupil allowance as a result of the date change.

“But this total change of about 60,000 tells us only part of the story, where there will be winners and losers from changing history.

“We need to see more transparency – the government should publish their figures in full, so that we can understand the full extent of funding losses during this recent period.” A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “Student tuition funding for the majority of schools, has risen to more than £2.5 billion overall this year – an increase of £60 million over last year. Together with our ambitious Education Recovery Plan, this will ensure disadvantaged children are supported in Their investigation “Using the October census to allocate a pupil’s premium means schools will now know their full budget earlier in the year, helping them plan ahead.”

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