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A new inquiry is underway to look at how Welsh schools are funded and whether it\u2019s enough to meet their needs.<\/p>\nA new inquiry is underway to look at how Welsh schools are funded and whether it\u2019s enough to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
The issue of school funding has come up as a theme in a number of recent enquiries and the National Assembly\u2019s Children, Young People and Education Committee feel now is the time to take a wholesale look at this fundamental issue.<\/p>\n
The Committee will be looking at the relationship and balance between the various sources of funding to schools, as well as how transparent these relationships are. This will predominantly include schools\u2019 core budgets but will also look at specific funding streams such as the Pupil Development Grant (PDG), which is used to improve outcomes for learners eligible for free school meals (eFSM) and Looked After Children (LAC).<\/p>\n
The inquiry will look at the sufficiency of provision for school budgets, in the context of other public service budgets and available resources, and amongst the inquiry\u2019s other areas of focus will be the weighting given to education and school budgets specifically within the local government settlement formula and the process which local authorities then follow to set each school\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cResponding to concerns we have heard in other inquiries, this Committee will be looking closely at how Welsh schools are funded, where that funding comes from and whether it is enough to meet the needs of our schoolchildren,\u201d said Lynne Neagle AM, Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be looking at whether the current level of provision for school budgets either complements or inhibits the delivery of the Welsh Government\u2019s policy objectives.However, we are well aware of the current spending climate and the need to balance the needs of schools against the demands of other public services.<\/p>\n
Our inquiry is therefore not just about the sufficiency of school funding but the way in which individual schools\u2019 budgets are determined and allocated.\u201d<\/p>\n