News

The mission to improve funding for pupils in Poole continued yesterday when Headteachers, Councillors, Officers, and MPs from the Borough visited David Miliband MP, Schools Minister, at the DfES Headquarters in Westminster.

Poole has slipped to being the 145^th worst funded Local Education Authority (LEA) in the country and the impact is hitting the borough's schools hard. Challenging Mr Miliband to look at the situation in Poole, the group asked him whether he thought the 3.4% increase, compared to national increase of 6.7%, was enough to provide pupils in Poole with the standard of education they deserve.

The meeting coincided with the deadline for LEAs accused of failing to pass on all funding to schools to return questionnaires to the DfES. During the discussion Poole was able to prove that it has in fact passed on over 100% of funds to schools and would pass on any remaining funds in the normal manner throughout the year.

Marilyn Warden, Chair of Poole Headteachers Association, said: "Teaching staff in Poole work extremely hard with the LEA to deliver the Government's curriculum, this year's funding is going to put great strain on our schools. Headteachers in Poole believe that the LEA is passing on all available funds to its schools, the fact is that the Government is just not providing enough! Our meeting with Mr Miliband was constructive and I hope that we were able to drive home to Westminster how essential it is that our funding situation is improved now."

She added: "Mr Miliband commented that he shared our ambitions for education and acknowledged that our schools have a striking record of achievement. He praised our Headteachers and the good relationships between schools and the LEA. This is good news but we can no longer maintain such high standards with such poor funding."

Pupils in Poole currently receive £340 less per pupil that the average funded LEA and a massive £2,104 less per pupil than the highest funded LEA.

John McBride, Chief Executive, Borough of Poole, said: "It is imperative that we make the Government understand how crucial fair funding is for pupils in Poole. This was a good opportunity for us to continue our campaign, directly with the Schools Minister. Poole LEA welcomes and takes on board government initiatives that help deliver the national curriculum to the highest standards. However without proper funding this is just not possible. We wait with bated breath to see whether our pleas have been heard."

The DfES will now be looking at the responses to the questionnaires from LEAs across the country. The Borough of Poole will wait for news over the coming weeks regarding any extra funds being allocated to Poole schools this year. It will continue in its campaign to the Government for fairer funding seeking any opportunities in the near future to fight this issue.