National funding formula will put pupils at risk, says London Councils

Responding to a government consultation into the future of education funding, the organisation which represents all 33 London boroughs argued that local authorities must have a say in how money is distributed to schools in their area.

London Councils also warned that government plans to introduce a national funding formula are fraught with problems, since they do not take account of the wide variation in different local areas' needs. This could mean that individual schools and pupils lose out, the organisation said.

Steve Reed, London Councils’ executive member for children and young people, said local authorities are concerned that both the proposed national funding formula and the pupil premium could end up putting the pupils they were intended to help at a disadvantage.

"Decisions must be made locally on where to spend school funding because a national funding formula will never have enough flexibility to respond to the specific needs of each school and the pupils who go there," he explained.

"At the moment we are able to target funding at pupils and schools that need it most, for example to be able to cater for increased demand for places, which is a huge issue for London schools."

He added that all schools should be funded on a "level playing field". "Academies and free schools must not be given money at the expense of the education of pupils attending other schools," he said.

According to analysis by London Councils, the shortage of school places across the capital is increasing with a predicted 70,000 shortfall over the next four years.

The organisation claimed it is "crucial" that the school funding system retains the ability to respond quickly to this issue in individual schools, so that funding to recruit additional teachers, for example, is available as and when required.