Mike Penning MP calls for explanation on sixth-form funding cuts.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Hemel MP Mike Penning called on Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls to meet with local secondary school heads to explain about the loss of funding and consequent cuts in sixth-form provision.

On 2nd March, schools received their funding allocations, but on 23rd March that funding was reduced – in some cases by as much as £90,000. Government Ministers had attempted to shift the blame to the Learning and Skills Council which is charged with implementing the Government’s decisions in this area and is already in trouble following the failure of the college rebuilding scheme.

Mike asked the Secretary of State:

“I am sure the Secretary of State is aware that all the secondary schools in my constituency have sixth-form provision. On 2 March, they were given their figure for the year. By 23 March, some schools had £90,000 removed from them—within three weeks. Will he meet a delegation of headmasters from my constituency and explain to them why they are losing so much funding and will have to cut sixth-form provision in my constituency?”

In reply the Secretary of State assured Mike that money allocated in the budget would cover this.

Speaking afterwards Mike said:

“I very much hope that the Secretary of State keeps his word – but I’ll believe it when I see it! This whole situation is a terrible mess and has caused a lot of confusion and anger in our schools.”

FULL TEXT FROM HANSARD:

Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) (Con): I am sure the Secretary of State is aware that all the secondary schools in my constituency have sixth-form provision. On 2 March, they were given their figure for the year. By 23 March, some schools had £90,000 removed from them—within three weeks. Will he meet a delegation of headmasters from my constituency and explain to them why they are losing so much funding and will have to cut sixth-form provision in my constituency?

Ed Balls: I fear that the hon. Gentleman may have missed the Budget announcement, which allocated—

Mike Penning indicated dissent.

Ed Balls: No, the hon. Gentleman did not miss the Budget announcement, in which case he will know that in the Budget we allocated £650 million over the next two years, which will guarantee more than 50,000 more learners, and all the learners in 2009-10 and 2010-11, including in his college. I am happy to have a meeting with those headmasters to say to them that they are getting the money. I hope he is not misunderstanding the position and he ought to be pressing his Front Benchers, who so far have failed to match our September guarantee for September 2009 and September 2010. That is what I will say when I meet his college principals: we are the ones guaranteeing the money; the Conservatives are the ones guaranteeing the cuts.

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