* Grant-maintained schools in Kent that are losing money because of new funding rules for the opt-out sector, are facing cuts of between Pounds 20,000 and Pounds 120,0000 each, writes Clare Dean.
Kent is one of 31 LEAs operating under the common funding formula, the pilot scheme which could eventually lead to every school being funded on the same basis.
But it has now emerged that the way the formula is calculated will lead to cutbacks in the amount of cash spent on repairs and maintenance in many of Kent’s opted-out schools and could lead to staff cuts.
These are a result of changes in the CFF, introduced this month. Under a new calculation, budgets will be set according to national average unit costs, taking account of differential funding for primary and secondary schools. Across the country the changes to the way the CFF is calculated will have a neutral effect. But there will be wide variations.
In Kent, the local authority will gain Pounds 5.3 million because it has a higher than national average differential between primary and secondary spending. The losers in this arrangement are the GM schools.
