Oct 12, 2019, Devon Live: Extra money announced for every pupil in Devon - but education bosses demand more https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/extra-money-announced-every-pupil-3421400 Devon is among two regions in the county to have been awarded the highest rise in school funding. After years of local lobbying by councils and teachers for more cash, the government has announced the south west will get a five per cent increase in per pupil funding in the next financial year. It means Devon schools will receive just over £19 million extra. That’s £228 more for each pupil in a primary school and £184 for each secondary student. Along with the East Midlands, it is the highest percentage regional rise in the country and compares with London on 3.2 per cent and the North West on 4.1 per cent. The new figures mean Devon still lags behind the national average with every pupil worth £263 less than their counterparts throughout the country. Although the hike has been welcomed by Devon’s schools’ chief, he is warning more needs to be done to bring Devon’s schools into line with the national average. He has also voiced his disappointment that Devon won’t get as much extra help for children with special needs as he expected…...... “There is undoubtedly a crisis in special education in this country and in Devon we are looking at an overspend of nearly £16 million [$20M U.S.] this year. “Other local councils face similar financial problems. So we must continue to campaign for a fully fair funding system for our schools and we will continue to campaign strongly for greater support for our most vulnerable children.”
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