North Yorkshire County Council has pledged to continue its long-running campaign pressing the Government for fairer funding for schools, and in particular to cover the spiralling cost of providing for special educational needs and disabled pupils.
A meeting of the authority's executive heard its leaders determination to see the national funding formula for high needs children changed remained undiminished, despite the authority’s case for numerous education ministers over several years.
Executive members agreed to lobby the government for “a fairer and more equitable funding settlement” as they approved a settlement for schools which will ensure that every primary school receives at least £4,405 per pupil, and every secondary school at least £5,715 per pupil for the coming year.
While numerous schools in North Yorkshire face increased costs due to their rurality, this year every school will be allocated at least 0.5 per cent more pupil-led funding per pupil compared to the current financial year.
An officers’ report to the meeting head the funding would restore 2010 levels of per pupil funding in real terms and provide an average cash increase for every pupil of more than £1,000 by 2024-25, compared to 2021-22.
In addition, The North Yorkshire Schools Forum has supported the submission of an application to the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency to include an “exceptional circumstance” payment of up to £50,000 for very small sparse secondary schools.
Without the payment, the report stated, those schools would otherwise be unable to attract sufficient funding to remain viable in the 2023/24 North Yorkshire school funding formula.
The report added the council was facing “a significant financial pressure” over funding special education needs pupils, with a projected deficit this year of £500,000, in addition to the accumulated deficit of £9.6m from previous years.
Since 2015 there has been an increase of about 150 per cent in the number of requests for Education, Health and Care Plans and whilst the Department of Education has provided some additional funding, it remains insufficient to fund current and growing demand and the trend is expected to continue.
The in-year projected deficit for 2023-24 is expected to amount to at least £4.5m.
Executive member for education and skills Councillor Annabel Wilkinson told the meeting the education authority was among the lowest funded in the country, and would continue to support campaign group f40, which argues education funding is a postcode lottery, which remains unresolved in current government proposals for further funding reform.
She said: “We do remain concerned about our small secondary schools and special schools and we continue to work with schools in financial difficulty, to support and challenge the governing bodies and school leaders.
“We will continue to push for equitable funding for all North Yorkshire schools and academies for a fairer distribution and allocation of higher needs funding.”
The authority’s leader Councillor Carl Les said the council would also seek to lobby the government through the County Council Network.
He said: “We need to keep pushing on this rural funding formula.”
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