CHANGES to the funding formula for England’s schools have been welcomed by the area’s politicians.

On December 14, Education Secretary Justine Greening unveiled the government’s new national funding formula for schools. Under the proposals, many urban centres, including London, will see a fall in their funding, with money being moved to schools in rural counties and the suburbs.

The new formula is designed to stop inequalities that see schools in different parts of the country, with similar intakes, receive different levels of per-pupil budget. There will be extra funding for ‘sparsity’, such as rural areas and small schools, places with a high level of mobility in its school population and funding where there are sharp increases in pupil numbers.

Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, said: ‘I welcome the reforms to the national funding formula for schools, which with last year’s £16-million rise, will tackle the historic postcode lottery in school funding — which affected Devon so badly — and ensure all local school children will get the best start.

‘I have vigorously campaigned for parity in school funding for our rural communities, which have historically been overlooked by a Labour government and have been underfunded for years.

‘Under the new plans Devon County Council stands to receive an additional £2,215,221 which is an increase of 0.50% and brings the estimated funding from 2019-2020 to £443,044,188. These reforms mean that, cumulatively, Devon schools will see a 3% increase in per pupil funding as soon as 2018-19.

‘This will redress much of the historic shortfall that exists between funding for Devon’s schoolchildren and the national average. It is welcome progress.

‘The government’s proposals are based on the first stage of the national consultation and I will continue to press for increased funding before the final decision is made in spring next year.’

Andrew Wallis, Cornwall Council’s Lead Member for Children and Young People said: ‘I would like to thank everyone who has campaigned so hard over the past few years for a fairer, more equitable distribution of funds to pupils. Education in Cornwall has historically been underfunded by successive governments.

‘If these proposals are implemented following consultation, the new National Funding Formula could see an additional £10 million allocated to Cornwall for school and high needs pupils.

‘However, while this funding has the potential to make a real difference, we need to look closely at the detail to see how the formula could impact on individual schools in Cornwall. The difference in funding allocation will affect schools in different ways, and not all schools will see an increase in their funding.

‘It is also important to remember that this is only a consultation at this time and things could change. However, anticipating that Cornwall will receive additional education funding, we would urge the Secretary of State to consider a swift transition of no more than three years.

‘I welcome these proposals in principle and thank the Department for Education for recognising Cornwall’s historic underfunding and taking appropriate steps to address it .’

Central Devon MP Mel Stride gave a cautious welcome to the announcement and said: ’I am currently consulting on these proposals with various schools in my constituency. Generally the proposed changes are beneficial to Devon’s funding position but there may be some cases where I will need to press further during the government’s consultation. I am keen to hear from as many of my 46 state schools as possible over the coming weeks and months.’

Education Secretary Justine Greening said: ‘Our proposed reforms will mean an end to historical unfairness and underfunding for certain schools.

‘We need a system that funds schools according to the needs of their pupils rather than their postcode, levelling the playing field and giving parents the confidence that every child will have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential.’

On the same day however, the National Audit Office warned that schools in England are facing an 8% cut in funding per pupil by 2019-20 as a result of £3-billion of cuts.