Aims and objectives

Our aim is to influence a change in the way the government allocates funding to local authorities and schools. The allocations for primary and secondary pupils in the authorities in the f40 group are the lowest in the country.

Whilst f40 has welcomed the extra money allocated to education in recent years, it believes that adjustments to the formula have failed to address the fundamental problems inherent in the old system.

League tables showing the funding of all authorities in England clearly show how disadvantaged the poorest funded authorities are compared with those who are better funded. Despite recently introduced changes to the funding system, the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ has widened.

f40 has always said that it wants to see a system which recognises the special needs of all LAs whether they are in urban, rural or inner London locations. Although we do not wish to take funding away from authorities more highly ranked in the funding league tables, the economic crisis makes it less likely that new money will be made available. Fundamentally we want a system which allows the lowest funded councils to catch up.

The Pupil Premium introduced in April 2011, whilst a step in the right direction, has not created the shift in allocations of funding required to fundamentally change the position of the poorest funded authorities and schools. There continues to be inequity and unfairness in the system.

f40 has contributed to the School Funding Reform consultation, which closed on 11 October 2011. The consultation, together with a presentation by Sarah Healey, Director of the DfE's Education Funding Group at our conference on 17 October, clearly demonstrates that the government has recognised that a new, fairer and more transparent school funding system is urgently needed.

f40 is pushing for the introduction of a new, more transparent formula in 2013-14. In our view, delay beyond this date would be unacceptable.

Click here for more information about the DSG Formula Review process.