Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Funding: County Durham

Monday 11 December 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • School Cuts website indicates that 214 out of 240 schools in County Durham face spending cuts in 2024-25.
  • County Durham will receive over 391 million based on current pupil numbers for 2024-25.
  • School funding in England will rise to over 59.6 billion next year, the highest ever in real terms per pupil.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Education
Context

School Cuts website indicates that 214 out of 240 schools in County Durham face spending cuts in 2024-25, amounting to £113 million or a £175 cut per pupil.

Question

I welcome the Minister to his place. Every day is a school day, but I wonder whether the new Schools Minister is familiar with the School Cuts website, which indicates that 214 out of 240 schools in County Durham face spending cuts in 2024-25. The cumulative impact of cuts in County Durham amounts to £113 million, equating to a £175 cut per pupil. Does he believe that restricting school budgets will help or hinder the educational opportunities and life chances for children in my east Durham constituency?

Answer from Damian Hinds

I have seen the website that the hon. Member mentions. Its calculations are based on some very speculative assumptions, and the conclusions that it reaches should therefore be treated with great caution. Next year, County Durham will receive over £391 million based on current pupil numbers, which is an extra £7.8 million for schools.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the question about whether budget restrictions help or hinder educational opportunities and life chances for children in County Durham's schools facing cuts.

How: Its Calculations Are Based On Some Very Speculative Assumptions, The Conclusions That It Reaches Should Therefore Be Treated With Great Caution

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Q2 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Education
Context

County Durham schools face significant budget cuts, impacting educational opportunities and life chances for children.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of school funding in County Durham?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Nationally, school funding will rise to over £59.6 billion next year, the highest ever in real terms per pupil. This year, the north-east had the largest percentage increase in per pupil funding in the whole of England.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address specific steps for County Durham facing significant budget cuts.

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Q3 Catherine McKinnell Lab Newcastle upon Tyne North
NHS Education
Context

Staff and students at Ferryhill School are facing substandard teaching conditions due to RAAC issues, with many schools needing complete rebuilds.

Question

I, too, welcome the Minister to his place. On Friday, I joined Labour's candidate Alan Strickland on a visit to Ferryhill School in County Durham. The staff team and students are amazing, but staff are left teaching in portacabins, the dining room and the sports hall, the staff room is behind a curtain on a stage, and years 10 and 11 are in a different town. Last week, yet more schools were added to the list of those with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and the Secretary of State could not confirm how many will need complete rebuilds. Given the urgency, can the Minister tell parents, children and staff when this chaos will end?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Mr Speaker, allow me to take this moment to pay tribute to all school staff, leaders, children and their families, who have shown great fortitude in dealing with the disruption caused by RAAC. We have moved quickly to make sure all schools with suspected RAAC are surveyed and to work with schools to put in place alternative arrangements. Of course none of that is perfect, but schools have shown great flexibility in working towards that, such that we now have 99% of affected schools back with full-time face-to-face education.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a definitive timeline for ending the disruption caused by RAAC issues in schools.

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