Catherine West MP MP for Hornsey & Wood Green and Labour Candidate for Hornsey & Friern Barnet
I’m concerned that the Government’s proposed new national funding formula could take £245 million from London’s schools. Haringey schools are amongst the most improved in the country, particularly at GCSE, and it’s essential nothing is done to jeopardise this success. Here’s my letter, printedin yesterday’s Guardian calling on the Chancellor to provide an urgent guarantee that there’ll be no funding reduction.
“If the proposed national funding formula for schools isn’t accompanied by extra funding, it risks having a devastating effect on the capital. London Councils’ analysis suggests £245m could be lost from London’s schools, equivalent to 5,873 full-time teachers or 11,598 full-time teaching assistants.This would be a scandal.
London’s schools are a real success story. Despite high levels of deprivation, higher staff and housing costs, and an ever-growing demand for places, we have the greatest number of good or outstanding schools in the country, and children growing up here consistently outperform their peers at key stage 2 and GCSE.
Surely the aim should be for every school in the country to match London’s achievements? This won’t happen by taking funding away from the capital and putting at risk the progress that has been made.
The chancellor must take into account the higher costs in London and provide an urgent guarantee that no local area will see a reduction in funding as a result of these proposals.”
Catherine West MP
Labour, Hornsey & Wood Green
Secretary, All-Party Parliamentary Group for London