CYP Now - Why school funding reforms will hit support for vulnerable pupils

Much has already been said about the new National Schools Funding Formula, but one aspect of the reform has not had quite so much attention - the new central school services block.

In his 2015 Autumn Statement, George Osborne announced that £600m would be cut from the education services grant (ESG). The spending review and autumn statement for 2015 states: "Savings of around £600m will be made on the ESG, including phasing out the additional funding schools receive through the ESG. The government will reduce the local authority role in running schools."

The government recently confirmed the new central school services block, which replaces the ESG, is to be worth £50m - only 8.3 per cent of the old budget. The ESG cut remains a brutal one. Coupled with a significant real-terms reduction in funding for each pupil between 2014/15 and 2019/20, strategies, teams and services that keep vulnerable children and young people engaged in education are at risk of being lost.

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