Government plans to ‘level-up’ education has seen money targeted at areas outside the capital, overlooking the most deprived children in the city.
The Government’s announcement ahead of the publication of the long-awaited levelling-up White Paper allocated 55 “cold spots” extra funding, but none are in London.
With London communities overall above the national average earnings, communities of hidden deprivation are often overlooked, leading to calls from London Councils for a reform to the funding formula. As money is redistributed to other areas around the country, experts warn that the dramatic improvements in London schools over the past 20 years could be put at risk.
Chief Executive of the Education Policy Institute, Natalie Perera said: “The relative affluence of London can mask pockets of deprivation and high levels of pupil need. It’s Important that the Government publishes its criteria used to select the areas which are to benefit from this scheme.”
In a statement, the Department for Education said: “It is the struggling schools of the North, Midlands, East of England and South-West that will be receiving much more support over the next decade.”
A document by the DfE states the 55 areas were chosen based on pupils’ attainment at the ages of 11 and 16 between 2017 and 2019.
