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John O'Dowd to give £30m to help low income pupils | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
The education minister has agreed to give £30m to help schools that teach children from families on low incomes. | |
John O'Dowd will make the money available over the next two years. | |
He has rejected a plan to remove extra support from small schools. | |
The proposal, in an independent review, could have led to hundreds of closures and would have saved an estimated £28m a year. | |
The recommendation from a review commissioned by the minister would have removed the extra support small schools get. | |
However, new planning for schools will probably mean many will close anyway. | However, new planning for schools will probably mean many will close anyway. |
The author of the report, Sir Robert Salisbury, says the rejection was predictable and that small schools are unsustainable in their quality of learning and cost. | |
He stands by the review group's recommendation that small schools should lose the extra financial support they get. | |
Sir Robert argues that education is better and costs are lower in larger schools. | |
In extreme cases, it costs £14,500 a year to teach each pupil while the average in other schools is £2,200. | |
The minister is supporting the report's idea to give more help to children in poor families, and he will give schools an extra £30m over the next two years. | The minister is supporting the report's idea to give more help to children in poor families, and he will give schools an extra £30m over the next two years. |
There will also be more children eligible for free school meals, giving pupils of all ages the same rules. | There will also be more children eligible for free school meals, giving pupils of all ages the same rules. |
From next year 15,000 more secondary and grammar school pupils will be able to claim free dinners for the first time. | From next year 15,000 more secondary and grammar school pupils will be able to claim free dinners for the first time. |
The review found that the budget allocation needed to be fairer, more transparent and more logical. | The review found that the budget allocation needed to be fairer, more transparent and more logical. |
Every year £1.1bn is shared between more than 1,000 schools. | Every year £1.1bn is shared between more than 1,000 schools. |
The report, which was written by a team of education specialists, said some spending was not in line with government policy. | The report, which was written by a team of education specialists, said some spending was not in line with government policy. |