Congratulations to everyone in Central Devon who recently received their GSCE, A-Level and T-Level results. Whether you achieved the grades you were hoping for or not, be proud of your hard work and be positive about the next step you take, whether in education or training, or looking for a job. Despite the economic challenges we face as a country, recent employment figures have been strong and job vacancies are at a record high. Between March and May this year the number of people in work rose by 412,000 (a record quarterly increase) and with 1.3 million vacancies there really are plenty of opportunities out there.
As we begin the 2022-23 academic year this week, there are reasons to be both positive and concerned about local education funding. On the positive front, changes to how ‘per pupil funding’ is calculated, which began under Theresa May and have continued under Boris Johnson, have resulted in a much fairer deal for Devon (a cause I have campaigned hard on over many years). While deprivation rightly remains a significant factor within the calculations, the higher costs of running small rural schools are now more fully considered. At primary school level these changes have been really positive for Central Devon. Funding has risen steadily, particularly for our smallest schools, and in this coming academic year local primary schools will, on average, receive more per pupil than the national average. This is thanks to an extra £44 million of Government investment in the total schools budget for Devon – an 8.8% boost. The extra cash will help to fund classroom resources and equipment and fund pay increases of between 5% and 8.9% for our hard-working teachers (an average boost of £2,100). An additional £1 billion will be spent on supporting pupils with special educational needs – a record 13% annual increase.
However, rising energy bills will cut significantly into this additional funding (which was allocated before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and prices rocketed). While the Government is providing significant cost of living help for families (every UK household will receive at least £400 of support and those on the lowest incomes will receive at least £1,200), there is not yet dedicated support for businesses or for sectors such as healthcare and education. We cannot escape the fact that it will cost significantly more to run our hospitals and schools, particularly over the winter months, and without more funding we will see debts run up or resources diverted from elsewhere.
Another area of concern is local secondary school funding, where challenges remain even though additional investment in Devon has been very welcome. Per pupil funding for the three secondary schools in Central Devon (Okehampton College, South Dartmoor Community College in Ashburton and Queen Elizabeth’s in Crediton) is, on average, a little below the average secondary school in England and I continue to press on this aspect of local school funding.