Your report on the National Association of Head Teachers’ recent school funding survey conveys the misleading assertion that a third of schools have not received the amounts to which they are entitled under our minimum funding guarantee (TES, April 30).
I would like to assure your readers that our own analysis of some 85 per cent of local education authorities’ budget statements for the current financial year so far shows no evidence whatsoever to suggest that schools are not receiving the minimum funding guarantee. This guarantee is a statutory requirement on local education authorities.
The headteacher associations, including the NAHT, agreed our proposals for the guarantee, including, specifically, provisions for exclusions, special cases and small schools when we were developing the school funding package for 2004-6 in consultation with our national partners over last summer.
The detailed arrangements for the guarantee are set out on www.teachernet.gov.ukmanagementschoolfunding.
Any headteacher who is concerned that their school has not received the guarantee should contact their local education authority immediately to check the position.
David Miliband Minister for school standards Department for Education and Skills
