It is claimed figures by the National Union of Teachers that school in Croydon could lose millions
There are fears millions of pounds of funding will be stripped away from young students in Croydon with some children missing out on more than £500 each, according to research carried out by the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
The Department for Education has countered the NUT’s data about school funding losses, calling the union’s figures “fundamentally” flawed and stating school will actually be protected for the next two years.
However, head teachers in Croydon have admitted their “budgets are under pressure”.
It has been claimed by the NUT that schools across the borough could lose more than £8m in government funding due to changes to the “national funding formula” which calculates how much each school should get.
This would, in certain estimates, see each student potentially lose out on hundreds of pounds which would have been dedicated to their education.
Some schools in Croydon are projected to lose between £3,000 and £400,000 each over the three years, according to the NUT’s research.
Due to changes to school funding formula by 2020 some children could receive more than £500 less than they currently do.
These figures have been contested by the DfE who argue that funding would actually be increased.
Although they have not projected figures to 2020, the DfE says funding from this year to next will in fact rise by £5.6m overall.
Nevertheless, schools in the borough have been raising concerns with Croydon Central’s MP Sarah Jones, about growing pressures to their budgets.
In a recent survey sent out to Croydon schools by Ms Jones, of which 54 head teachers responded, 92 per cent of those who replied said they have “had to make staffing cuts due to funding pressures”.
Ms Jones, who was elected at the General Election in June, claimed schools are struggling from budget pressures which are becoming “unsustainable”.
She added: “The schools funding crisis is very real. Head teachers on the frontline are saying loud and clear that there is a growing crisis in our schools.
“Schools have been treading water for two years – now they’re starting to sink.”
According to the NUT’s research the ‘worst hit’ school in Croydon would be Oasis Academy Shirley Park.
It is projected, by the NUT, to lose £463,000 – which works out at around £300 per pupil under the union’s prediction of student numbers.
The DfE has countered these claims and says the funding allocation for Oasis Academy Shirley Park will actually rise next year by three percent.
However, Louise Lee, the principal of Oasis Academy Shirley Park, said: “These survey results confirm what Croydon head teachers have been saying for some time.
“This isn’t confined to certain schools, budgets are under pressure across the board.
“There’s a real sense of frustration.”
Ms Jones says other Croydon head teachers have spoken of reduced funding, and have gone with her to take their concerns to the Government’s Schools Minister, Nick Gibb.
The NUT maintains that their predictions are accurate and that funding will be cut.
However, a spokesman for the DfE said the NUT’s figures were “fundamentally misleading”.
He added: “They are based on historical data and do not reflect the situation in our schools today.
“They also ignore the fact that schools funding is driven by pupil numbers and, as pupil numbers rise, the amount of money schools receive will also increase.
“As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years.
“At the same time, our historic improvement of the school funding system – backed by an additional £1.3bn of extra funding – will replace the current post-code lottery which saw huge differences in funding between similar schools in different parts of the country.
“Our new formula will allocate a cash increase of at least one per cent per pupil to every school by 2019-20, with much higher gains for underfunded schools.”
What each school will gain or lose according to the NUT
School | Income per pupil 2015/16 | Income per pupil 2019/20 | Change 2015/16 – 2019/20 | Change per pupil 2015/16 – 2019/20 |
Applegarth Academy | £5,321 | £4,732 | -£227,068 | -£589 |
Ark Oval Primary Academy | £4,378 | £4,216 | -£79,920 | -£162 |
Aerodrome Primary Academy | £4,875 | £4,480 | -£182,523 | -£395 |
All Saints C of E Primary School | £4,642 | £4,305 | -£121,192 | -£338 |
Archbishop Tenison’s CE High | £5,125 | £4,975 | -£83,141 | -£149 |
Atwood Primary Academy | £3,734 | £3,497 | -£100,212 | -£237 |
BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology (CTC) | £6,613 | £6,127 | -£180,476 | -£485 |
Beaumont Primary | £4,454 | £4,131 | -£68,996 | -£322 |
Beulah Infants’ School | £4,743 | £4,617 | -£28,255 | -£126 |
Beulah Juniors | £4,562 | £4,366 | -£66,546 | -£196 |
Broadmead Primary Academy | £4,574 | £4,600 | £13,037 | £26 |
Coloma Covent Girls’ School | £4,792 | £4,725 | -£50,504 | -£67 |
Castle Hill Academy | £4,921 | £4,815 | -£43,815 | -£106 |
Chipstead Valley Primary School | £3,775 | £3,526 | -£130,007 | -£249 |
Christ Church C of E School | £4,211 | £3,954 | -£92,688 | -£257 |
Coulsdon C. of E. School | £4,097 | £3,984 | -£23,446 | -£112 |
Courtwood Primary | £4,405 | £4,187 | -£47,607 | -£217 |
Cypress Primary School | £4,198 | £4,229 | £19,211 | £30 |
David Livingstone Academy | £4,639 | £4,448 | -£44,195 | -£191 |
Davidson Primary Academy | £4,475 | £4,828 | £127,485 | £353 |
Downsview Primary School | £4,119 | £3,823 | -£166,581 | -£295 |
Ecclesbourne Primary School | £4,504 | £4,405 | -£39,618 | -£99 |
Elmwood Infant School | £4,786 | £4,631 | -£55,033 | -£155 |
Edenham High School | £5,742 | £5,520 | -£218,528 | -£223 |
Elmwood Junior School | £4,236 | £4,250 | £6,548 | £14 |
Fairchildes Primary School | £4,849 | £4,440 | -£188,221 | -£408 |
Forest Academy | £4,993 | £4,647 | -£120,702 | -£346 |
Forestdale Primary School | £4,280 | £3,943 | -£117,323 | -£337 |
Gonville Academy | £4,030 | £3,751 | -£139,152 | -£278 |
Gilbert Scott Primary School | £5,501 | £5,112 | -£75,027 | -£389 |
Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School | £5,340 | £4,823 | -£108,489 | -£517 |
Greenvale Primary School | £4,137 | £3,982 | -£33,189 | -£155 |
Gresham Primary School | £4,065 | £3,830 | -£58,132 | -£234 |
Heavers Farm Primary School | £4,518 | £4,227 | -£200,844 | -£292 |
Harris Academy Purley | £5,772 | £5,681 | -£76,182 | -£91 |
Harris Academy South Norwood | £5,426 | £5,786 | £524,376 | £360 |
Harris Academy Upper Norwood | £6,278 | £7,777 | £94,455 | £1,499 |
Harris City Academy Crystal Palace | £6,055 | £5,595 | -£414,466 | -£460 |
Harris Primary Academy Benson | £4,291 | £4,025 | -£95,199 | -£266 |
Harris Primary Academy Kenley | £4,508 | £4,151 | -£130,683 | -£357 |
Howard Primary School | £4,675 | £4,441 | -£81,010 | -£234 |
Keston Primary School | £3,977 | £3,857 | -£48,946 | -£120 |
Kenley Primary School | £4,311 | £4,165 | -£32,335 | -£146 |
Kensington Avenue Primary | £4,465 | £4,404 | -£33,771 | -£61 |
Kingsley Primary Academy | £4,440 | £4,270 | -£150,425 | -£171 |
Margaret Roper Catholic Primary | £4,055 | £3,830 | -£55,221 | -£225 |
Minster Nursery and Infant School | £4,710 | £4,473 | -£80,997 | -£237 |
Monks Orchard Primary School | £4,250 | £4,620 | £188,363 | £370 |
New Valley Primary School | £5,119 | £4,682 | -£71,670 | -£437 |
Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls | £5,343 | £5,134 | -£207,788 | -£209 |
Norbury Manor Primary | £4,578 | £4,590 | £5,189 | £12 |
Oasis Academy Coulsdon | £5,257 | £5,006 | -£189,535 | -£251 |
Oasis Academy Byron | £5,229 | £4,701 | -£121,850 | -£529 |
Oasis Academy Ryelands | £4,526 | £4,809 | £102,137 | £283 |
Oasis Academy Shirley Park | £5,459 | £5,150 | -£463,946 | -£309 |
Orchard Way Primary School | £4,290 | £3,988 | -£63,638 | -£302 |
Park Hill Infants | £4,512 | £4,262 | -£65,476 | -£250 |
Park Hill Junior | £4,052 | £3,919 | -£48,383 | -£134 |
Purley Oaks Primary School | £4,440 | £4,010 | -£260,459 | -£429 |
Regina Coeli Primary School | £4,117 | £3,829 | -£119,121 | -£288 |
Riddlesdown Collegiate | £4,834 | £4,657 | -£285,681 | -£176 |
Ridgeway Primary School and Nursery | £3,746 | £3,659 | -£54,835 | -£87 |
Rockmount Primary School | £4,235 | £3,954 | -£124,723 | -£281 |
Rowdown Primary School | £4,772 | £4,528 | -£83,479 | -£243 |
Selsdon Primary School | £4,144 | £3,938 | -£114,714 | -£207 |
Shirley High School Performing Arts College | £5,401 | £5,202 | -£176,106 | -£199 |
Smitham Primary School | £4,023 | £3,880 | -£60,056 | -£143 |
St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School | £4,177 | £3,896 | -£60,439 | -£281 |
St Chad’s Catholic Primary School | £4,319 | £4,103 | -£84,613 | -£216 |
St Cyprian’s Greek Orthodox Primary Academy | £4,230 | £3,878 | -£147,840 | -£352 |
St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School | £4,079 | £3,918 | -£72,246 | -£160 |
St John’s C of E School | £4,139 | £4,119 | -£5,012 | -£20 |
St Joseph’s College | £5,318 | £5,089 | -£195,726 | -£229 |
St Joseph’s RC Infant School | £5,060 | £4,977 | -£13,550 | -£83 |
St Mark’s Church of England Primary Academy | £5,018 | £5,003 | -£2,399 | -£15 |
St Mary’s Catholic High School | £6,344 | £6,160 | -£102,236 | -£184 |
St Mary’s Catholic Infant School | £5,282 | £5,373 | £14,029 | £91 |
St Peter’s Primary School | £4,133 | £3,909 | -£91,208 | -£224 |
St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School | £3,903 | £3,680 | -£96,270 | -£223 |
St. Andrew’s CofE VA High School | £5,476 | £5,340 | -£80,146 | -£136 |
St. Joseph’s Junior | £4,752 | £4,648 | -£22,984 | -£104 |
St. Mary’s Catholic Junior School | £4,492 | £4,360 | -£30,400 | -£133 |
The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy | £5,878 | £5,707 | -£83,931 | -£171 |
The Crescent Primary School | £4,854 | £4,878 | £14,058 | £24 |
The Hayes Primary | £3,863 | £3,689 | -£71,346 | -£174 |
The Minster Junior School | £4,343 | £4,141 | -£86,351 | -£202 |
The Quest Academy | £6,052 | £6,308 | £149,595 | £256 |
The South Norwood Academy | £4,555 | £4,723 | £74,322 | £168 |
The Woodside Academy | £4,169 | £3,973 | -£150,615 | -£196 |
Thomas More Catholic School | £5,628 | £5,326 | -£221,024 | -£302 |
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School | £5,582 | £5,494 | -£40,477 | -£88 |
Whitehorse Manor Infant School | £4,805 | £4,505 | -£104,316 | -£300 |
Whitehorse Manor Junior School | £4,415 | £4,190 | -£89,715 | -£225 |
Winterbourne Junior Girls’ | £4,438 | £4,087 | -£111,152 | -£351 |
West Thornton Primary Academy | £4,580 | £4,209 | -£270,254 | -£370 |
Winterbourne Boys’ Academy | £4,589 | £4,337 | -£71,199 | -£252 |
Winterbourne Nursery and Infants | £4,593 | £4,283 | -£129,456 | -£310 |
Wolsey Infant School | £4,976 | £4,827 | -£39,251 | -£149 |
Wolsey Junior Academy | £4,656 | £4,525 | -£48,190 | -£131 |
Woodcote High School | £4,895 | £4,716 | -£192,031 | -£179 |
Woodcote Primary School | £3,839 | £3,646 | -£127,474 | -£193 |