§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria are used to allocate funds for children with disadvantages and special needs in primary schools in Liverpool.
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§ Mr. FallonIt is for Liverpool local education authority to decide what criteria to use in its local management of schools formula to allocate funds to schools.
Liverpool uses a social disadvantage factor based on the number of pupils entitled to free school meals, and a special needs factor based on a system of monitoring reading standards at ages seven and 11. The tests currently used to assess reading standards are the primary reading test for seven-year-olds, and Young's Cloze procedure for 11-year-olds.