Schools on the Isle of Wight are set to benefit from a multi-million-pound cash injection from government.
In total, the Department for Education (DfE) has increased the amount of money for Island education by around £4.8 million — the biggest funding boost in a decade.
The extra investment will lift per pupil funding to a minimum of £5,000 for secondary school students next year and £3,750 for primary school pupils.
The deal includes an additional £3.5 million for mainstream schools, £1.2 million for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and £129,000 for early years provision.
Councillor Paul Brading, Cabinet member for children’s services, said:
“We welcome this extra investment in our schools, bringing the total budget for Island education to £98 million.
“As a council we recognise the pressures both schools and the teaching profession as a whole have been under and they have been doing a very good job at managing as best they can.
“The extra funding announced by the government should help reduce that pressure and is a step in the right direction. However, we do recognise that more money needs to be found over the next few years to put education on a secure financial footing.”
School results are improving on the Island with outcomes improving at a much faster rate than schools nationally.
Last year, primary pupils taking part in a special targeted initiative achieved a massive 15 per cent improvement in their Key Stage Two maths performance.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office. Ed
Image: comedynose under CC BY 2.0
