Extra cash will ensure fair chance for North East pupils - Hall (Bishop Auckland Liberal Democrats)

Bishop Auckland Liberal Democrats <mark@bishoplibdems.org.uk>

Extra cash will ensure fair chance for North East pupils - Hall

December 12, 2011 1:07 PM
Originally published by Fiona Hall MEP

Next year, more than 31,000 additional children in the North East will qualify for the Pupil Premium, meaning millions more for the region's schools.

The Pupil Premium - aimed at supporting the area's most disadvantaged children - amounts to £600 extra for every child eligible for free school meals. From next year, the Pupil Premium will be extending its reach to cover any child that has been registered for Free School Meals (FSM) in the past six years.

The new rules mean more than 106,000 North East pupils will qualify, increasing local school budgets by £31 million.

North East MEP Fiona Hall said:

"It is a scandal that children on Free School Meals have consistently worse school results than those that have never been eligible. Only one in 200 pupils on free school meals get three As at A-Level, compared with one in three privately educated pupils. We are consigning too many young people from poor backgrounds to a life of underachievement, without the equality of opportunity available to better-off families.

"That's why the Government is giving schools an extra £600 for extra child eligible for free school meals. That amounts to an additional £31m in our region next year.

"The Pupil Premium ensures money is directed towards those who need it most and helps ensure every child is given a fair chance to fulfil their potential."