The Prime Minister has announced that we are boosting schools with a record £14 billion, levelling up per pupil funding across the country so every child in North West Leeds and Otley has a world class education.
The cash boost will mean that every secondary school in North West Leeds and Otley will receive a minimum of £5,000 per pupil next year and every primary school will get a minimum of £4,000 per pupil from 2021-22, rising at least in line with inflation.
In addition, the new funding will mean £400 million additional funding for further education and sixth form colleges in North West Leeds and Otley to train and teach our young people the skills they need for well-paid jobs in the modern economy.
Commenting, Stewart Harper said:
“I am delighted that the Prime Minister has delivered on his pledge to level up per pupil funding across the country so every child in North West Leeds and Otley has a world class education.
“Only Boris Johnson and the Conservatives can deliver the change people want, giving every child the best start and properly funding our schools – getting this country back on the road to a brighter future.
“I am also delighted that the cash boost will mean £700 million extra for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), so every pupil in North West Leeds and Otley can access the education that is right for them, and none are held back from reaching their potential.”
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“When I became Prime Minster at the start of the summer, I promised to make sure every child receives a superb education - regardless of which school they attend, or where they grew up.
“Today I can announce the first step in delivering on that pledge – funding per pupil in primary and secondary schools will increase, and be levelled up across the entire country.
“We should not accept the idea that there can be “winners or losers” when it comes to our children’s futures. That’s why we are providing additional funding now and for the future for every school, with those historically underfunded receiving the greatest increase.
“My government will ensure all young people get the best possible start in life. That means the right funding, but also giving schools the powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying so pupils continue to learn effectively”.
Under successive Conservative governments there has been a dramatic improvement in children’s reading making sure they are prepared for their future.England has risen to joint eighth place in the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, up from joint tenth in 2011 and the historic low of 19th under Labour. Thanks to our phonics reforms, 163,000 more six year olds are on track to become fluent readers compared to 2012 (DfE, Press Release, 28 March 2019, link; DfE, Press Release, 16 April 2019, link).
Under Labour, we plummeted down the international league tables for school performance and it would happen again.Between 2000 and 2009, England fell from seventh to 25th in reading, eighth to 28th in maths, and fourth to 16th in science in the PISA league tables (DfE, Press Release, 7 December 2010, link).
