England Changes Funding Criteria to Tackle Educational Inequality
The UK government is preparing a comprehensive education reform aimed at reducing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. The model, to be announced on Monday, proposes changing the criteria under which schools receive funding to support disadvantaged pupils.
Under the current system, funding is allocated based on the number of students receiving free school meals. However, the government plans to broaden this approach by introducing a more comprehensive model based on family income. The change is expected to involve a restructuring of the annual “pupil premium” payments that schools receive for each eligible student.
According to official data, only 44 percent of students receiving free school meals in England achieve a passing grade in mathematics and English exams, compared with 70 percent of other students. The government states that this gap has not significantly narrowed over the past decade and highlights the need for reform. The new policy also includes plans to allow local authorities to manage groups of schools through their own multi-academy trusts and to establish minimum standards for schools’ engagement with parents.
However, the financial dimension of the proposed changes has sparked debate. The current disadvantage support budget stands at approximately £8 billion per year, and it is not yet clear whether this funding will be increased. Education experts emphasize the need for more targeted funding while warning that the new model must be carefully designed to avoid deepening regional inequalities. The planned changes to England’s education system are expected to reignite debates over equity of opportunity.