Today’s news review looks at Vice Chancellor pay, Croydon’s children services and school funding.
Vice Chancellor Pay
Yesterday, Monday 4 September, there was further media coverage of the ongoing discussion about Vice Chancellor pay following comments from Professor Richardson, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford. As minister Jo Johnson outlined in a speech in July, when students and taypayers invest so heavily in our higher education system, value for money should be guaranteed. The minister has called on the sector to exercise restraint and the department will be issuing new guidance to the Office for Students to address this.
Croydon’s Children Services
Yesterday, Monday 4 September, Croydon’s Children Services were rated as Inadequate by Ofsted, a story that was covered by BBC London and ITV London. It is our standard procedure that the council will now be subject to a three-month review – led by new Commissioner Eleanor Brazil – to direct immediate improvement and advise on the next steps.
Robert Goodwill, Minister for Children and Families, said:
Keeping children safe is vital, and we take tough measures when councils are failing them. We have appointed a commissioner in Croydon to conduct a three-month review before we determine the best next steps to ensure improvements are made for vulnerable children and families.
School Funding
An article published in the Guardian on Monday 4 September contained a number of inaccuracies about school funding and the National Funding Formula.
The article claims that the National Funding Formula will result in losses for any school. The Secretary of State announced in July that we are putting an additional £1.3bn in to schools and high needs over the next two years, and spending per pupil will be protected in real terms for the remainder of the spending review period. We have been absolutely clear that the National Funding Formula will deliver higher per pupil funding in respect of every school, and every local area. Every school will see a cash increase of at least 1 per cent per pupil by 2019-20, compared to their baseline.
In setting the National Funding Formula, we have been careful to consider funding for deprivation in the round – both the deprivation funding that local authorities provide for in their local formulae, and the funding provided through the pupil premium. We have confirmed that we will protect funding for additional needs through the National Funding Formula. Every local authority will see an increase on their high needs block funding by 2019-20 compared to what they planned to spend in 2017-18.
Minister Jo Johnson’s full speech on Vice Chancellor pay can be found here.