Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given Cambridgeshire schoolchildren a £12 million Christmas present – and a quarter of a million pounds of this is coming to schools in Queen Edith’s.

The cash is an increase in the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools to be spent on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. ‘A fair start for every child’ is one of the Liberal Democrats’ four core policies from our 2010 manifesto, now being delivered by the Coalition Government.

In Queen Edith’s schools, 276 pupils are expected to be eligible, meaning that our schools are set to benefit from nearly a quarter of a million pounds to support struggling children. Pupil Premium funding in previous years has been spent on a number of initiatives, including IT support, one-to-one tuition where needed, mentoring, and extra support for children with special educational needs.

The Pupil Premium covers any primary or secondary school pupil who has been registered for Free School Meals in the past six years. For 2013/14, the Premium will be worth £1.65bn, or £900 per pupil, in total. The extra money is intended to ensure that every child has a fair start in life, and is not held back by poverty. It is wrong that social background should determine a child’s chances in life; everyone should have a chance to reach their full potential.

David Laws, Liberal Democrat Schools Minister, points out: ‘This money does not just help the poorest children; it helps every child. Fewer children falling behind means less disruption in class and a better education for everyone.’

Details of the extra income for our schools are given in the table below:

Morley Memorial Primary School     28 pupils     £25,200

Queen Edith Primary School    56 pupils     £50,400

The Netherhall School     192 pupils     £172,800

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