NUT general secretary says findings show government’s proposed funding formula will not work unless more money is found

Schools with the highest numbers of poor pupils are likely to see the biggest cuts to funding in coming years, according to research.

A study argues that these state schools are set to lose out on hundreds of pounds per pupil under government funding plans.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) research looks at the 997 state schools with more than 40% of pupils eligible for free school meals, a key measure of poverty.

In total, it says, primaries with this proportion of disadvantaged students will lose £473 per pupil in real terms, £140 more than the average for primary schools generally, while secondaries with high numbers of poorer youngsters will have an average loss per pupil of £803, £326 more than the average for secondaries.

The latest analysis uses funding data published by the Department for Education (DfE) as part of the national funding formula consultation to predict cuts for schools with more than 40% of pupils on free dinners, compared with cuts predicted for schools as a whole. It takes into account factors such as the impact of the new funding formula and predictions on the cost increases schools are facing.

The proposed new national funding formula announced by the education secretary, Justine Greening, in December is intended to increase funding for schools with additional needs, including deprivation.

The changes, being introduced from 2018 to 2019, will mean more than 10,000 schools will gain funding, it has been suggested.

The NUT general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said: “These findings confirm that the government’s proposed funding formula will work for no one unless more money is found. Almost every school is going to be worse off in real terms due to government funding policies. It is disturbing to find now that the children most in need are in the schools that will be hardest hit.

“If children who are growing up in poverty do not receive an education that is well resourced and funded, then the government will be seriously threatening their life chances.”

The CPAG chief executive, Alison Garnham, said: “Poverty at home is the strongest statistical predictor of how well a child will do at school.

“Schools and teachers can help to weaken that link if they have sufficient resources, but these new findings show that schools in the poorest areas would lose most from the government’s proposed new funding formula. That would widen the educational attainment gap and set many of our children up to fail.”