The government’s proposed national funding formula for schools fails to recognise the “double disadvantage” faced by pupils from poor homes in deprived neighbourhoods, according to the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation.
In a joint submission to a consultation on the government’s proposals two bodies have expressed concern that the formula “seems to advantage schools with low prior attainment ahead of schools with high deprivation”.
The government plans to use “additional needs factors” to allocate funding to schools.
The plans, out for consultation, would weight the funding associated with low prior attainment at 7.5%, whilst additional cash for pupils from disadvantage home and area deprivation would be weighed at 5.5% and 3.9% respectively. Read more