On Tuesday 1st December 2015 James joined over 100 of his colleagues from across the House to deliver petitions for a fairer education funding formula in the Commons. Having written to schools across the constituency, James was delighted that 18 South Suffolk schools managed to collect nearly 1000 signatures from parents, teachers and governors.
After presenting the petition James said “I was overwhelmed by the level of response and the amount of signatures that our schools were able to collect. South Suffolk made a very strong representation in the nationwide petition. We were one of the best performing constituencies!”
He went on to explain that, “The Autumn Statement showed that the Government have taken notice of all of the F40 group’s efforts and the concerns of our schools and parents. I welcome their commitment to review the schools funding formula and anticipate a better deal for South Suffolk’s school in the near future.”
The wording of the petition was as follows:
‘The petition of residents of South Suffolk, declares that the petitioners believe the existing school funding model in England is arbitrary and unfair; further declares that the ten best funded areas of England have on average received grants of £6,300 per pupil this year, compared to an average of £4,200 per pupil in the ten most poorly funded areas of England; and further declares that the petitioners welcome the Government’s commitment to introduce fairer school funding.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons supports the earliest possible introduction of a new National Funding Formula for schools in England.’