tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post4799774418867597568..comments2024-03-26T09:38:39.888+00:00Comments on Borthlas: Funding GapsJohn Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-36743901520055891252011-02-02T14:23:39.370+00:002011-02-02T14:23:39.370+00:00Siônnyn,
Thanks for that. We need to be careful ...Siônnyn,<br /><br />Thanks for that. We need to be careful about interpretation, though, since not all of the cost of servicing PFI deals is 'extra'. If PFI had not been used, there would still be some revenue costs related to the capital spend - they'd just be at a lower level. It's likely, though, on the basis of your figures, that PFI is at the least a significant element of the apparent 'gap'.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-16954635314961938772011-02-02T14:17:35.491+00:002011-02-02T14:17:35.491+00:00I believe that the cost of servicing the PFI contr...I believe that the cost of servicing the PFI contracts in England relating to schools is about 3.5 billion. I am unable to find a good source for this, (although I did read it somewhere respectable) but as the total cost of <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/small-print-of-budget-reveals-costs-of-pfi-projects-to-rise-to-16310bn-a-year-1674151.html" rel="nofollow">PFI is about 10 billion,</a>, it seems plausible. <br /><br />There are <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000925/index.shtml" rel="nofollow">8.1 children of school age</a> in England, so the cost due to PFI per pupil would appear to be about £430.Siônnynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00021974709953206048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-27231678604011565262011-02-02T08:37:30.678+00:002011-02-02T08:37:30.678+00:00Glyndo,
Your comments on Blaenau Gwent perhaps dr...Glyndo,<br /><br />Your comments on Blaenau Gwent perhaps draw attention to another issue - size of authority. In smaller authorities, such as BG, the 'overheads' will be divided by a smaller number of pupils, and therefore give the impression of a higher spend per pupil, even if it doesn't look that way to the individual schools.<br /><br />It just highlights, once again, that 'funding per head' is potentially a red herring. The question we need to address isn't simply 'how much do we want to spend?', but 'what do we want to achieve?' - and then 'how much is that going to cost us?'. <br /><br />If we can achieve the right results on a lower level of spend (that's good, rather than bad, isn't it?), then increasing spend per head to 'English' levels, based on the use of a crude average, would be to base policy on the wrong criteria.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-54967753581227128672011-02-01T20:12:42.724+00:002011-02-01T20:12:42.724+00:00The figures show Blaenau Gwent as the second highe...The figures show Blaenau Gwent as the second highest spender and the second lowest achiever. Conversely, The Vale of Glamorgan is the lowest spender but is right up there with the highest achievers. So, money is obviously not the major driver, I leave you to ponder on what that major driver might be.Glyndonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-2485140891552206962011-02-01T14:34:34.357+00:002011-02-01T14:34:34.357+00:00Jeff,
"Probably the best results in Wales ar...Jeff,<br /><br /><i>"Probably the best results in Wales are in the Vale which has the lowest spend per head of all the 22 local authorities."</i><br /><br />... which sort of confirms that whatever the relationship between spending per head and outcomes is, it's not a simple linear relationship.<br /><br /><i>"The issue that interests me is where has the £430 per pupil premium for those on free school meals in England gone. It must have been in the settlement because of the Barnett consequential."</i><br /><br />I may be wrong on this, but I thought that it had been achieved by a reallocation of funds within the English Education budget. So no Barnett extra as a consequence.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-8842523083718640942011-02-01T14:27:03.653+00:002011-02-01T14:27:03.653+00:00Probably the best results in Wales are in the Vale...Probably the best results in Wales are in the Vale which has the lowest spend per head of all the 22 local authorities. The issue that interests me is where has the £430 per pupil premium for those on free school meals in England gone. It must have been in the settlement because of the Barnett consequential. The real question,however, is has it been passed on to schools in Wales or has it somehow been lost inthe funding fog? WAG keeps arguing that all LEAs in Wales have agreed to pass on the extra 1% in school funding but if you talk privately to many councillors they will tell you that school budgets can't be protected and are going to be cut. The figure quoted to me for Bridgend was a 2% cut in primary and 4% cut in secondary. This is a story which has still got leags and will again probably hit the headlines once schools receive their budgets from local authorities in MarchJeff Jonesnoreply@blogger.com