I was very pleased to see education as one of the big beneficiaries of last week's Spending Review as funding challenges are regularly raised by teachers on my school visits across the constituency.

Every school will now attract increases in line with inflation or higher. The following schools in Hornchurch and Upminster will particularly benefit from increases to at least the minimum per pupil funding levels of either £3,750 for primary or £5,000 for secondary schools in 2020-21. I paste below the letter than has been sent me by Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson. 

Primary schools:

Branfil Primary School

Engayne Primary School

Nelmes Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Upminster Junior School

Secondary schools:

The Coopers' Company and Coborn School

Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP

Secretary of State, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street   Westminster   London   SW1P 3BT

5 September 2019

Dear Julia,

EDUCATION FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT

A great education is fundamental to the success of children, their families and our communities, as well as the success of our country. That is why I am delighted to share with you the details of the additional £14 billion investment that the Prime Minister has committed to our schools over the next three years.

This investment will benefit every school – with particularly significant gains for the lowest funded schools. It will ensure that per pupil funding for all schools can rise at least in line with inflation next year; and faster than inflation for most. It delivers on the Prime Minister’s pledge to ensure every secondary school receives at least £5,000 per pupil, and every primary school at least £3,750 next year – putting primary schools on the path to receiving at least £4,000 per pupil the following year. Those schools that are already attracting their National Funding Formula allocations can expect significant cash increases of 4% per pupil on average (subject to changes in pupil characteristics and numbers). We will also remove the cap on gains for schools not yet attracting their full gains under the new formula, so that funding flows through in full. 

Illustrative school level allocations will be announced early next month, and I look forward to writing to you with further details of the impact for schools in your constituency. In the meantime, please see below for a list of schools in your constituency that attracted less than £3,750 or £5,000 per pupil in 2019-20.

Crucially, this package will underpin our historic reforms to the school funding system – ensuring that a child with the same needs benefits from the same funding, wherever they happen to live in the country.

I have also reaffirmed our intention to move to a ‘hard’ formula – where schools’ budgets are set on the basis of a single, national formula. This additional funding sits alongside efforts to drive greater efficiency in spending and support for schools to make every pound count.

On top of a funding investment in schools, I have also announced a package of measures that will intensify our efforts to ensure that all pupils are supported to fulfil their potential. We will begin a consultation to lift the inspection exemption for outstanding schools, working with Ofsted to ensure that parents have up-to-date information and reassurance that the education in these schools remains of the highest quality.

We will also provide additional funding so that strong Academy Trusts can expand their reach to even more schools and pupils. Alongside this, we will increase the level of support available to some of the most challenging ‘Requires Improvement’ schools: those that have not been judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted in over a decade of multiple inspections. To break the cycle of underperformance, we will give hundreds of them more help and advice from experienced school leaders so that they can deliver for the children who are right to expect the very best in their education.

There are no great schools without great teachers, and this investment offers a pledge to recognise teaching as the high-value profession it is. This £14 billion investment will ensure that pay can be increased for all teachers. Subject to the School Teachers’ Review Body process, the investment will make it possible to increase teachers’ starting salaries by up to £6,000 - with the aim of reaching £30,000 by 2022-23. This would make starting salaries for teachers amongst the most competitive in the graduate labour market. This funding package also gives schools complete assurance that their increased contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will be fully funded.

I strongly believe that all children should have access to the education and support that is right for them. That is why this investment also includes over £700 million to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), an increase of over 11% on the funding available this year. I recognise pressures on high needs budgets and alongside this additional funding we will continue to work with local authorities and schools to ensure this investment is working as well as it can.  

But this is not just about schools. The investment also includes an extra £400 million to provide better education for 16-19 year olds in 2020-21. This means a 7% nominal uplift to overall 16-19 funding, in addition to funding for pensions. This is the biggest single year increase since 2010. It will ensure that we are building the skills that our country needs as we prepare to leave the European Union, particularly focusing on skills vital for productivity, including engineering and construction.  

I look forward to colleagues’ support in continuing to build our world class education system. 

Kind regards,

Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP