Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I have said for many months that the Government’s proposed changes to the National Funding Formula will result in an education crisis for London. As a result, schools in every single one of the capital’s 33 local authorities will lose funding and London pupils are losing out.
“I am disappointed that ministers continue to ignore my advice, and that of so many schools, boroughs and parents in London.
“The implications are severe - we will lose teachers, standards risk dropping dramatically, special educational needs units will be impacted, school days could be shorter, extracurricular activities could become a thing of the past, and pupils will suffer. It is a kick in the teeth for everyone who has worked so hard in recent years to make London an international beacon for education, with a proven track record in supporting disadvantaged pupils.
“The capital’s schools are being penalised for success.
“£1.3billion extra added to the core education budget over two years may sound like good news – but it is not new money and will come from existing budgets.
“As a Mayor for all Londoners, I want to see all our young people get the best possible start in life. We need to work together and fight for a fairly funded school system that will work for our youngsters for generations to come.”
Notes to editors
- The Mayor’s response to the original Government’s consultation can be viewed here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/national_funding_formula_mayor_response_22march2017.pdf
- The Government’s proposal will reduce the funding for 70% of London schools.
- The boroughs of Southwark and Hackney are facing reductions of 2.3% each – the worst affected in the country.
- Out of the top ten areas of the country that will lose out as a result of the new National Funding Formula, eight are London Boroughs (Southwark, Hackney, Newham, Lewisham, Lambeth, Haringey, Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden)
- The National Audit Office report identified that schools can expect 8% increase in costs by 2019/20.
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