HC Deb 06 November 2002 vol 392 cc417-8W
Dr. Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will adopt policies to ensure that no schools in Essex suffer a cash budget cut in the next financial year. [78477]

Mr. Miliband

In introducing the new system of LEA funding for 2003–04, we will implement the pledge that no local education authority will lose out in real terms in 2003–04. The Education Act 2002 incorporates a reserve power that allows the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to set a minimum budget for an authority's schools, if the budget proposed by an authority is

Pupil Referral Units: Number of Pupils on Roll
1998 to 2002
Position in January each year.
1998 1999 2000
Number of Solely Registered Pupils1 Number of Dually Registered Pupils1 Number of Pupils also registered with Other Providers2 Number of Solely Registered Pupils1 Number of Dually Registered Pupils1 Number of Pupils also registered with Other Providers2 Number of Solely Registered Pupils1 Number of Dually Registered Pupils1 Number of Pupils also registered with Other Providers2
England 7,740 4,166 8,263 4,202 6,986 4,586 1,493
London 2,005 662 2,195 628 1,740 863 236
Outer London 999 304 1,026 335 807 423 114
Enfield LEA 115 3 110 30 105 36 0

2001 2002
Number of Solely Registered Pupils1 Number of Dually Registered Pupils1 Number of Pupils also registered with Other Providers2 Number of Solely Registered Pupils1 Number of Dually Registered Pupils1 Number of Pupils also registered with Other Providers2
England 7,308 4,993 1,981 7,614 4,968 2,342
London 1,895 751 243 2,063 607 288

seriously inadequate. Changes in the funding of individual schools depend very largely on changes in their pupil numbers. It is open to LEAs, if they wish, to include factors in their school funding formulae which have the effect of protecting individual schools from excessive year-to year reductions in their budget shares.