I think schools populated by children from relatively affluent suburbs don’t need as much funding as those in the inner cities that are populated by children from deprived or poverty stricken homes.

To the degree to which those two polarised examples can be identified as real, I think a funding formula that gives preference to the latter, where the life chances of those children are materially and demonstrably worse, is right and proper.

If our school needs more money I will happily give it. I’m pretty sure I can (and absolutely should) reduce our Chardonnay consumption by about a bottle a week, which should generate about £400 in a stroke.

The Pupil Premium is intended to achieve exactly that.

But you assume that the overall schools budget is fixed (relative to inflation etc) when it’s been cut over recent years and is due to fall further.

No schools should be asking kids to bring in stationery on a ‘non-uniform’ day so that they have enough materials to teach with.

Stationery, not stationary. Unless of course they’re just standing still.

Now write it out 100 times you horrible man 😉

*innocent face and blames the Sony android keyboard*

(always quote or wait until the edit window’s closed 😉 )

(also – young!? How flattering, I’m over 50)

😉

Isn’t what they do now just a cycle based on performance?

Eg crap school gets loads of funding, becomes good, funding cut slowly becomes crap again and repeat in most cases

Local Authorities fund per pupil across all maintained schools, they don;t adjust based on school performance.

The amount the LA gets is governed by a formula that is intended, in part, to reflect areas that have greater need.

Pupil Premium is intended to give individual schools greater funding for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and that will continue regardless of how well a school performs.

there is no ‘yo-yo’ fundign of schools based on performance (although I’m not familiar with how academies and free school fundign works).

Like businesses and other institutions success of a school is complex and relies on a committed management team, motivated teachers, supportive parents and children who want to learn – over time the balance of these things can change and affect outcomes.

Surely evolution suggests we should put all our resources behind those with the best chance of success, and let the others pile up on the scrapheap?

Evolution suggests that having a wide and diverse population that aren’t all specialised in one activity (passing school tests in this instance) gives a species the best chance of survival.

when it’s been cut over recent years and is due to fall further.

Per pupil funding hasnt been reduced since the mid 90’s.

What do you mean by recent?

It’s fair to argue though that the human race has stopped evolving!

My post is in response to the significant campaign by schools in my local area to change the funding formula and equalise it. There are a lot of people here (in leafy and well to do west sussex) who feel it’s unfair.

I don’t.

Does that mean I should vote Labour? (serious question).

It’s fair to argue though that the human race has stopped evolving!

Based on?

It’s fair to argue though that the human race has stopped evolving!

Still evolving, just we’ve reduced / removed a lot of the environmental bias for selecting the most successful (or rather killing off the less so), so we’re miandering rather than progressing so to speak.

Based on?

Based on the fact that we’ve largely negated all the environmental effects that might otherwise give one set of genes an advantage over any other. Our ability to reproduce, now, is barely diminished in any and all circumstances.

[Edit] as per Footflaps’ comments above.

Per pupil funding hasnt been reduced since the mid 90’s.

in ‘real terms’ and based on a school’s costs – inflation, agreed pay and pension contribution increases, cost of utilities, council tax, VAT etc funding per pupil is effectively falling.

in ‘real terms’ and based on a school’s costs – inflation, agreed pay and pension contribution increases, cost of utilities, council tax, VAT etc funding per pupil is effectively falling.

this is what I heard on Radio 4 today (so it must be true)

re: evolution – given the uncertainty re: climate change etc I’d quite like humanity to have as wide a gene pool as possible – we don’t know what traits will be useful in the years to come. We are currently insulated from evolutionary pressures to a large extent but that may not continue.

this is what I heard on Radio 4 today (so it must be true)

My wife’s a head teacher, it’s true.

NFF is a crock when you consider rural schools, not that there is even a definition of a rural school in it.

We are losing base funding heavily, to be made up by pupil numbers .. but you don’t get the same scale in small schools, and our funding will fall far short. We’re looking at losing a head, having a teaching head (whic would likely mean losing the current head) or losing support staff.
Even federating doesn’t look like it will help, as the other nearby (6 miles or so) schools are in the same boat. Worrying times.

The map I saw also showed the schools in the most deprived areas of the county were suffering the worst (we are in no way deprived, but sparsity does for us). Can’t be right.

There is no way to shift surplus from one school to another in deficit. Not all schools in deficit are badly managed, not all in credit are well managed, if you consider improving outcomes as the default purpose of a school.

It smacks of a formula worked out in Islington then pushed to the rest of the country with no further consideration.

The map I saw also showed the schools in the most deprived areas of the county were suffering the worst (we are in no way deprived, but sparsity does for us). Can’t be right.

It’s a real worry. Where we are is not exactly the most prosperous but the school the girls go to and the two next nearest are all down to lose 4 members of staff.

If we’re going to stand a chance out of the EU we need a well-educated workforce and this is not the way to go about it…

ratherbeintobago – Member
If we’re going to stand a chance out of the EU we need a well-educated workforce and this is not the way to go about it…

Surely everyone that matters goes to Eton and the rest are just there to serve? Who cares how/if they’re educated so long as they don’t make too much noise!

Surely everyone that matters goes to Eton and the rest are just there to serve? Who cares how/if they’re educated so long as they don’t make too much noise!

Its their turn to bat !

Based on the fact that we’ve largely negated all the environmental effects that might otherwise give one set of genes an advantage over any other. Our ability to reproduce, now, is barely diminished in any and all circumstances.

I dont think you really understand what evolution is. You seem to be alluding to natural selection which is one way evolution can happen.

Considering the nightmare scenario of a huge Tory victory, I expect we are going to have to get used to the destruction of our education system (and the health service, social care, policing, Brexit, oh the list is endless). FFS we’re all screwed.

Our school funding is going up so it makes things slightly better for us. Things are still getting tighter every year though.

In summary from a different place but the questions were asked here in Oz
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-27/whats-in-the-gonski-report/4219508
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review-of-funding-for-schooling-final-report-dec-2011.pdf
The answer was matching needs and funding really. How you define and measure that is the toughest part. In a simplistic way if you face a heap of challenges to educate people you need more funding.

Click here and type in postcode to reveal the cuts in your area.