Blackburn with Darwen schools to gain £3.4m for disadvantaged youngsters (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn with Darwen schools to gain £3.4m for disadvantaged youngsters
1:18pm Thursday 3rd March 2011 in News
MORE than £3.4million will be distributed among East Lancashire schools as part of the government’s pupil premium initiative.
County council education bosses have revealed they are expecting to receive £10,750,000 for pupils from deprived or disadvantaged backgrounds.
And it is understood Blackburn with Darwen Council schools will be given a share of £2,330,000.
Pupil premiums were introduced by the coalition government to help improve education for children from the poorest backgrounds in England.
The area, judged one of the most deprived in the country due to the high number of pupils receiving free school meals, will be given £430 for each child receiving free school meals and for each child that is in care.
And £200 will be given for a child that has a parent in the armed forces.
This has been introduced by the government in a bid to enable schools to provide better pastoral care and is a national scheme to be rolled out from April.
Stephen Edwards, head of finance at Lancashire County Council, said: “When we set out the school budget the share to each schools will include the pupil premium.”
Lancashire secondary school headteacher Peter Cunningham said: “I understand schools are going to benefit with the pupil premium but we don’t know what the expectations of the Department for Education.
“Here in Lancashire, a number of schools in receipt of that money and we have failed to bridge the gap between children on free school meals and those who are not.”
Critics have claimed the funds will be taken away from other areas of the school budget.
It is as yet unclear whether overall budgets for schools will increase or decrease as a result of the pupil premium money.
Heads will find out the direct impact once the funds have been incorporated into next year’s budget.
Comments(7)
Good call
says...
5:17pm Thu 3 Mar 11
mylo96
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5:34pm Thu 3 Mar 11
NEEDTOKNOW
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8:40pm Thu 3 Mar 11
Muller
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10:12am Fri 4 Mar 11
Good call
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9:49pm Sat 5 Mar 11
Muller wrote:Good shout this country dosent help the genuine needy but hands out £££s in Benefits to The Lazy, feckless, Chavs,Illegals And other undeserving Leaches.
My daughter doesn't get free school dinners but has special needs -yet there is no money to get some support for her. Get very angry, we aren't asking for alot just a little help would make a huge difference to our lives. How does withdrawing services (that don't attract a large cost) for children with disabilities not equating to front line services being affected. Perhaps I need to go on benefits, get free school meals then we might get some help.
Hopping mad
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12:23am Mon 7 Mar 11
Good call wrote:Took the words right out of my mouth.
Why should a child get more spent on them just because they're from a "disadvantaged" background.Every child gets an education and it's up to them what they do with it. Many of these "deprived" Youngsters grow up in households where their Parents sit on their arses all day smoking Weed who tell their Kids "don't better yourself".It might upset a few Scroungers and La-La liberals but it's the truth.
So sick of this country, how it promotes being lazy. My wife and I are both working all be it on low wages but get no help because we have a work ethic. We also see it having your own house, where if your on benefits you can get wall insulation or loft insulation, which we can't afford to get because we're having to pay for people and their kids. They want to do what they do in the states and give them food vouchers instead of money so they have to get food instead of alcohol and cigarettes. Makes you sick that some of them are better off than a lot us that choose to work.
l m h jones says...
4:35pm Thu 3 Mar 11