St Albans MP Anne Main has today welcomed the announcement that St Albans schools will directly benefit from the Government’s plan to increase school spending by £14bn over the next three years.
A breakdown of how the first year of Government funding will be regionally assigned has been released today and shows that the East of England will get an extra £184m, a 4.5% increase per pupil. Schools in Hertfordshire will be positively impacted by the Government’s pledge to ensure every secondary school will receive a minimum of £5,000 per pupil next year, and every primary school a minimum of £3,750 from 2021-22.
St Albans schools will see an increase in funding above the new minimum levels for per-pupil funding. The average amount per pupil in secondary school in St Albans will be £5,161 and £4,123 for primary school pupils.
Some primary schools in St Albans can expect up to £480 additional funding per pupil in 2020/21 compared to 2019/20. Whilst St Albans largest secondary schools will receive an extra £145 per pupil.
Anne has campaigned on behalf of St Albans schools on this issue for the last few years. In September, Anne met with local schools to discuss keys issues within education, primarily funding and teacher recruitment.
Anne led a debate on school funding in the House of Commons earlier this year which gained widespread support from cross-party MPs. Anne urged the Government to recognise the pressures on teachers and schools and the real-terms cut in per-pupil funding.
Following the announcement, Mrs Main said:
“Having been a teacher myself, I understand the strain that schools come under so I am delighted that this Government is committed to improving school standards across the country through this significant funding boost.
“St Albans is home to some of the finest schools in the region and it is absolutely vital that they receive adequate funding so they can continue to deliver an outstanding education for young people in St Albans. I have vigorously campaigned at every level for fairer school funding and I am pleased that my lobbying on this issue is coming to fruition. I will continue to put pressure on this Government to prioritise investment in our school’s system.”
