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Over the last 10 years, ongoing inequalities in funding have meant schools in the North of England have received less money from the National Funding Formula (NFF) on average than their southern counterparts.
The new analysis is by academics from the Child of the North group including Professor Judith Rankin at Newcastle University. The group is a partnership between Health Equity North and N8 Research Partnership and on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), found that on average pupils in London received 9.7% more funding than those in the North.
Widening inequalities
Schools in London received an average of £6,610 per pupil compared to £6,225 in the North East and £5,956, and £5,938 in the North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber, respectively.
Children in the most affluent schools in the country had bigger real terms increases in funding than those in the most deprived ones, despite the increased burden placed on these schools due to wider societal issues that impact the families they serve.
This inequity corresponds with children in the North having higher school absences, including health and mental health absences, and educational performance is poorer.
The Child of the North: Addressing Education and Health Inequity report also highlights that children born into the poorest fifth of families in the UK are almost 13 times more likely to experience poor health and educational outcomes by the age of 17.
This poses a risk for public services in future years, as the long-term consequences of poor education can not only impact physical and mental health, but can also place great pressure on the NHS, social care, and criminal justice system in future.
Contributing author, Judith Rankin, Professor of Maternal and Child Health at Newcastle University’s Population Health Sciences Institute says: “This important report lays bare the stark inequalities in educational outcomes between children in the North and the rest of the country. Now is the time for government to take action to invest in children’s education and reduce the impact of poverty on education and health.”
Recommendations
The report has prompted rallying calls for immediate action to address the imbalance from northern MPs and academics, who have set out a suite of recommendations to help level the funding playing field.
The Child of the North APPG members and report authors are calling for an overhaul of the current school funding formula, so it takes into consideration attainment inequalities and the health burden borne by schools, to prevent these disparities continuing to increase.
Read more about the innovative approaches needed and report's recommendations.