We have taken our call for fairer school funding directly to Westminster, as we continue to campaign for a system that gives Devon’s children and schools a fairer deal.
Our Cabinet Member for SEND, Councillor Denise Bickley, and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services – Social Care, Councillor Richard Jefferies, travelled to London as part of our ongoing work with the f40 campaign.
Watch our film to follow the journey from Devon to Westminster and hear why we’re calling for change.
F40 is a national campaign representing 43 local authorities across England that receive some of the lowest levels of education funding or have serious concerns about the funding pressures facing SEND services. The group campaigns for a fairer distribution of school and SEND funding, arguing that where a child lives should not dictate the funding available for their education.
Among its key asks, f40 wants changes to the national funding formulas so that school and SEND funding is distributed more fairly, alongside greater investment and reform to help mainstream schools support children with SEND and increase specialist provision for those with the greatest needs.
Councillors Bickley and Jefferies first attended an f40 executive committee meeting before heading to Portcullis House, where representatives from local authorities, schools and education trusts met MPs to highlight disparities in education funding across the country and build support for a parliamentary debate on fairer funding.
Devon currently ranks 105th out of 151 local authority areas for school funding.
Councillor Richard Jefferies said:
“The current funding gap is putting our schools under greater pressure and making it more difficult for them to deliver the quality education we all want for Devon’s children.
“We need fairer funding across the country, especially for places like Devon which have been underinvested in over many years.
“It’s vital to bring together councils, schools and education trusts and take that message directly to MPs. We want to build support for a parliamentary debate and make sure Devon’s voice is heard.”
The campaign is also particularly important at a time when schools and local authorities are facing significant pressures supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Councillor Denise Bickley said:
“It simply isn’t fair that children in Devon should receive less funding than their counterparts elsewhere in the country.
“We know the pressures our schools are facing, particularly as they work to support increasing numbers of children and young people with SEND. Fairer funding would help schools provide inclusive support and give children the opportunities they deserve.
“We spent the day speaking up for Devon’s children and asking for fairer funding and more investment in our schools. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to take that message directly to MPs.”
Councillor Bickley has since been appointed as one of three deputy chairs of the f40 group, strengthening Devon’s voice within the national campaign.
Among those supporting the event was the Rt Hon Sir David Davis MP, Conservative Vice Chair of the f40 Group.
Sir David said:
“The low funding doesn’t reflect low needs, low demand, lack of children to be educated or lack of resources needed. It’s just because the way the formulas work that we end up worse off.
“That’s not because Devon has fewer people or easier pupils to teach. It’s just the way the rules work. We need to put it right.”
Our visit to Westminster forms part of our ongoing work with f40 to campaign for a fairer education funding system.
We will continue working with our schools, MPs and partners, both here in Devon and nationally, to make the case for funding that reflects the needs of our children and young people and gives them the best possible opportunity to thrive.
For more information about the campaign, including f40’s priorities and what it is asking Government to change, visit www.f40.org.uk