Thursday, October 13, 2011

£360,000 for Whickham and Dunston schools

Schools in Whickham and Dunston in Gateshead are set to receive an additional £360,000 this year thanks to the Pupil Premium which is being introduced by the Government.

The Pupil Premium is an additional payment to schools for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The policy was one of the top four general election manifesto commitments by the Liberal Democrats last year.

Dunston and Whickham Liberal Democrat Councillor Peter Maughan said, “This extra cash for local schools is a great boost for children’s education in the area.

“The aim of the Pupil Premium is to ensure all children have the best start in life. The last Labour government left a shocking legacy where the richest 16-year olds are three times as likely to get five good GCSEs as the poorest.

“The Government has already protected schools from the cuts needed to reduce the Deficit. The extra Pupil Premium money will go straight to local schools and can’t be siphoned off by the Labour Council to be spent on their pet projects elsewhere. The schools will be free to spend the money on what is best for their pupils.”

Liberal Democrat Schools Minister Sarah Teather recently announced that the total Pupil Premium funding for next year will rise to £1.25bn, double the amount in 2011-12. Lib Dem ministers have successfully negotiated a further rise again each year until 2014-15 when it will be worth £2.5bn.

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