Lib Dems warn of education cuts

Disadvantaged pupils should attract extra funding, says Nick Clegg

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is warning that England's schools are heading for a "funding squeeze".

In a speech in London, he said Labour's slogan of "education, education, education" would be replaced by one of "cuts, cuts, cuts".

He claimed education spending would be frozen in the rest of this parliament and that many schools would face real funding cuts this year.

Schools minister Jim Knight accused Mr Clegg of "misleading nonsense".

In a speech at the Institute for Public Policy Research, Mr Clegg said education was a key priority for the Liberal Democrats.

He pledged to halt what he said were reductions in school budgets and reaffirmed the party's commitment to put an extra �2bn a year into the education budget.

"For many schools, Blair's 'education, education, education', is about to become Brown's 'cuts, cuts, cuts'," he said.

'Challenging pupils'

A survey by the Liberal Democrats of local authorities has found that of the 50 which responded, one in three was facing real cuts in funding per pupil this year.

The party says that proportion will receive below-inflation increases in funding per pupil.

A key plank of the party's approach to education would be to match funding to need. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds would attract extra funding which would go directly to schools.

"This extra money would follow the pupil to whichever school he or she attends," he said.

"It would be a powerful incentive for schools in more advantaged areas to take on more challenging pupils. And it would also be a huge financial boost to schools with large numbers of such pupils."

Mr Knight said: "This is typically inaccurate and misleading nonsense from the Lib-Dems.

"Local authorities have received an average per pupil funding increase of 4.6% this year, and schools in turn are guaranteed a minimum increase of 2.1% per pupil."

The current rate of inflation on the government's preferred measure is 3%. Teachers are having a 2.45% pay rise imposed and salaries account for much of schools' costs.

Mr Knight said: "Funding for every single local authority, school and pupil will continue to rise in each of the next three years, so that per pupil spending will reach �6,600 in 2010 and will have doubled in real terms since 1997."

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