BOOST TO SCHOOLS' FUNDING (From Salisbury Journal)

BOOST TO SCHOOLS' FUNDING

SCHOOLS in the Andover area, and in Tidworth in particular, are to benefit from a new stream of funding introduced by the Government.

Each child in receipt of free school meals will increase a school’s budget by £430 through the pupil premium, while those from service families will automatically add £200.

This will be a major boost for some schools, adding tens of thousands of pounds to the the budget.

At Clarendon Junior School, Tidworth, where 246 of the 288 pupils are from service families, the need for national recognition has been championed by head teacher Alex Bostock through SCISS (Service Children In State Schools) over the past 18 months.

“I’m delighted the case we have been making to the Department for Education has been recognised so that we now have a national system,” he said.

“The additional money is needed because of the extra costs as service children come and go at different times. Additional staff are needed to settle them in and show families around, there is more administrative work and more is spent on books, as every time they move they need a new set of everything.”

Worries Teaching assistants often need to be employed to help children if they have worries about the fathers who may be away on frontline active service.

Governors will look at how to spend additional funding, but Mr Bostock expects they will look at way of improving teaching assistant support, improving class sizes and improving the induction process.

Other schools to benefit include Ludgershall Primary, where the £688,000 budget will be increased by £12,470 through the pupil premium and 18 service pupils will bring in an additional £3,600, while Wellington Academy is guaranteed a service premium of £34,800.

Several Andover schools also have significant numbers of service children and will benefit from the new system, although no figures are available publicly.

Devizes MP Claire Perry, who is a governor at Wellington Academy, said: “This subject was a priority for me when I entered Parliament and was one of the first questions I asked in the House of Commons.

“Although £200 doesn’t sound very much, it will be very helpful to schools and important recognition that military families move around and need support.”