Prospect dismay that school improvement grant for local authorities will be removed

Prospect’s Education and Children’s Services Group has expressed its dismay that the Department for Education is to press ahead with proposals to remove the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering Grant that is allocated to local authorities.

Even according to the DfE, most of the feedback from the consultation that it ran on this issue raised concerns about how schools and councils would be able to absorb further funding pressures.

Prospect’s ECSG made similar points in its own submission to the consultation which closed on 26 November, 2021.

Steve Thomas, Prospect national secretary commented:

“It is disappointing that no reasons related to the actual levels of support that schools, children and young people and their families receive, and how this may benefit them, have been advanced by the DfE.

“No doubt many of our members will wonder if the removal of the Grant and introduction of additional budgetary pressures and administrative burdens is motivated by a desire to save money and encourage academisation rather than to improve services.”

However, Thomas added that the DfE clearly states that councils will not need to reduce the school improvement support they provide to maintained schools because of the proposals.

He said that Prospect would be writing to local authorities to remind them of this position.

The full outcome of the consultation can be read on the DfE website.