COUNTY MPs have welcomed new legislation from the government pledging minimum levels of funding for each school pupil.

Every secondary school has been guaranteed at least £5,000 per pupil and every primary school at least £3,750 per pupil next year, thanks to new legislation recently laid out in parliament.

Funding per pupil for primary schools would also rise to £4,000 the following year, 2022, the government has announced.

Robin Walker, Worcester MP, welcomed the announcement and also that local authorities will now be required by law to pass on the required levels of funding to every school in their area - previously, local authorities were not required to allocate the money for schools in this way.

“This is something I have been pushing for since before I came into parliament,” the MP said. “For many years I have been working with the f40 group (fairer funding for school campaign group) pushing for the uplift for school funding for areas like ours, and making the case. This will make a real difference. This is just the start though - it will be a priority to keep investing in education.”

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Nigel Huddleston said: “Many of my constituents will know that school funding has been an issue that I have campaigned on for a long time. I have worked continuously with the other Worcestershire MPs to lobby the government on making sure Worcestershire, which has been historically underfunded compared with other parts of the country, gets its fair share of the additional investment.”

Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, added: “I was delighted to see the government making progress on delivering a fairer funding deal for county schools and this is a really heartening announcement.

“Our primary and secondary schools do an amazing job and I am sure that teachers and parents will join me in welcoming this great news. Fairer funding was one of my top election pledges. I am delighted that we’ve been able to make some substantial progress on this key local issue.”