School funding to move to Whitehal

[onimolap]

Link to BBC story here

Is this a good move? Is cutting out the LA really going to make the system more responsive to teachers?

Is it really, though, a hostage to fortune got when the political pendulum swings again to an era of either Big or authoritarian government?

And has anyone seen anything on the formula for, or likely level of, the Pupil Premium? Or will that all follow after agreement on this new funding formula?

This is interesting

Interesting debate - as a parent I would say there are clearly improvements that can be made, though tinkering with the finances is neither here nor there. Just seem to be a way for ideologically-driven Tories to limit the power of local authorities a bit more. Can't see it saving money or working better, particularly.

LFN's plans look appropriately loopy. Did cause to make me comment to DP that 'all Tories are actually just stupid, aren't they?'

As I said before education is a unique environment in which to work. You cannot fairly measure a teacher's performance wholly by the results of the pupils. There are too many variables.

It's like saying x surgeon is crap because more of his patents die than z surgeon. Does x take sicker patients, do they get good after care, do they do what he tells them to (take their meds, stop smoking), do they have crap housing? Similarly, there are too many influences on a child's education to judge teachers solely on the performance of the pupil.

Aside from that I agree that finding-wise things need to change. IME the head and governors are tasked with balancing the budget but have to do it with one arm tied behind their backs.

funding-wise

I am highly suspicious of anything Michael Gove proposes but if the removal of LEA power means that outstanding schools will be able to expand that would be good. At the moment the biggest myth peddled by Blairs so called choice agenda was that good schools would expand to meet parental demand. This has ben actively prevented in our area by an LEA with surplus places in other schools. Equally, I suspect that LEAs have been perfectly happy to collude in the unfairness of faith schools as it means these schools are providing the places to meed their overall need ( never mind that not all pupils are eligible).
However, I think I am grasping at straws here as this new gov has been very quiet on this subject.

The last government struggled with the issue of school funding. The commissioned an IFS report in 2008 which found:

"Despite undergoing significant reform in recent years, the system of state school funding in England remains opaque and poorly understood."

More worrying the IFS found that:

"Local authorities in England allocate only around half the extra resources that Whitehall pays them to educate children from disadvantaged backgrounds to the schools that those children actually attend, choosing to spread the extra resources over all pupils in their area instead."

I think the Coalition are right to look into this.

"the biggest myth peddled by Blair`s so called choice agenda was that good schools would expand to meet parental demand"

Ideling - I think the IFS report covers how the issues of funding led to the failure of the choice agenda.

Does anyone know how this will affect statemented pupils who receive extra funding from LEAs? DD goes to a private special school funded by our LEA, would this be funded from central govt in future?

Jimmyjam - under this proposal, the LEA will still get some funding from the government for the provision of 'central services'. I'd assume that this would include funds for direct payments for places at special schools.

FWIW - the school funding process looks to me like an enormous can of worms. Gove is either very brave or pretty stupid, lifting the lid on it.

Thanks Jackstarbright - I shall look at that.