Peterborough’s schools hit by big loss of pupil funding - how each school is affected

Figures from the Labour Party using the School Cuts website show 50 schools are expected to be worse off in 2020 compared to their funding in 2015. St Michael’s Church School in Cardea is forecast to lose £483 per pupil according to the figures, more than any other school in the city. Neither the Government nor Peterborough City Council have disputed the figures, although the Department for Education described them as “misleading”. Peterborough has struggled in school league tables, coming second bottom in the Year 6 SATs results for the past three years. A Peterborough Labour Party spokesperson said: “Recent school results figures in Peterborough show just how badly this Government is failing our children. “Data shows that the results achieved by Key Stage 2 pupils in Peterborough are over 10 percent below the national average and cuts to school budgets will surely make that situation worse. “This is unacceptable, and is the result of the Tory Government and council completely failing our city’s children.” The Government said schools funding has increased. However, rising pupil numbers and inflation has resulted in schools having less money to spend. The worst affected city secondary school is Ormiston Bushfield Academy in Ortongate, which is expected to lose £410 per pupil. Academy principal Dennis Kirwan said: “Our academy has long been one of the most successful in the city, achieving top grades across GCSEs and A-Levels, with our students regularly winning places at the country’s best universities. “We have resilient financial planning in place at our academy, and investment in teaching and learning for the benefit of our students’ education is always our number one priority, ensuring that our school will continue to be as successful as it is now.” Peterborough City Council education chief Jonathan Lewis said: “Schools across the city have faced a number of challenges in recent years, including increasing pupil numbers and a reduction in funding from central government. Through campaigns such as Stand Up For Peterborough we have lobbied government for extra funding and will continue to do so. “In the meantime, we will actively work with schools (excluding independent academies) to monitor funding and make the most effective use of our resources.” Peterborough has one of the highest population growths in the UK. The number of pupils being taught in the city has increased by 7,360 - a 26 per cent increase - in a decade. This cost £326 million and involved the construction of new schools and the expansion of the majority of schools in the city. The Department for Education said schools’ funding was rising and that it was helping them reduce their non-staffing costs. A spokesperson stated: “Figures from the School Cuts campaign are misleading. They suggest that schools’ budgets are going down, whereas in fact we have given every local authority more money for every pupil in every school since 2017.” Any school not shown below has not lost funding, according to School Cuts. | See also: Peterborough secondary school league tables: how did your school score? | School Cuts website.