I make no apology for returning to the subject of our local schools for the second week in a row. I referred last week to Fair Funding and it is, quite rightly, receiving a lot of prominence.
Our local schools have been unfairly funded for years. I am delighted that we have a Government that is grasping the nettle and honouring its manifesto commitment to make school funding fair. The system of school funding the Government inherited the Education Secretary rightly calls "arbitrary, unfair and out of date". Every Headteacher, parent and MP in West Sussex agrees.
Changing how every school in the country is funded is a huge undertaking and it is important to get the new formula right. The Government consulted in the spring and will report back this academic term. It will also launch the second part of its consultation. Everyone is entitled to respond and I will be asking schools to help ensure we get effective participation from West Sussex. The Government will announce its changes in the New Year and Fair Funding will begin to be implemented for the following academic year, starting September 2018.
To get a new funding formula required a manifesto commitment, a change of Government and years of campaigning. Once implemented national formulas are very hard to shift. National Fair Funding should be very positive for West Sussex schools, this term's consultation will be important in helping ensure we get the right result.
In the meantime all MPs are acutely aware of the funding pressures on our local schools and their concerns in particular for next year. At her very first appearance in the Commons as Education Secretary, on 21st July, I urged Justine Greening to consider transitional funding for all West Sussex schools. She promised to "look at a sensible approach for the transition period of 2017-2018”.
In parallel with the Government's ongoing actions on Fair Funding local MPs are meeting with both the Minister for Schools and Secretary of State over the next month to press the case for transitional funding. Securing Fair Funding remains a huge task and one which will require a lot of political support, drive and determination but it's one that we must see delivered. Once in place it will improve the funding of our schools for years to come.