Specialist schools have breathed a sigh of relief after the coalition government’s budget announcement quashed fears they could lose up to £129 per pupil per year.
The Chronicle can reveal that rumours circulating earlier this week from a leaked report claiming specialist funding for sports schools and colleges in the county would be cut were untrue.
The money – worth almost £130,000 to each specialist school including Sundorne Sports College, Meole Brace School Science College, and the Mary Webb School and Science College – will still be allocated to the schools but does not have to be spent on its specialism.
The headteacher of Sundorne School and Sports College, Geoff Pettengell, said he welcomed the news as it would free the money up to be spent elsewhere.
Although he was keen to stress he would continue to plough money into sport because it had successfully raised attainment levels at the school.
Speaking after Chancellor George Osborne’s comprehensive spending review was revealed yesterday, Mr Pettengell said: “I spoke to the Department of Education this afternoon and they clarified that the money given to specialist colleges will still be given but will not need to be allocated.
“We get £60,000 for sports specialist school money and they’re not going to do it like that anymore, it will be ploughed into the main budget. They’re getting rid of sports schools grants but putting it into the main budget.
“It’s giving me more freedom to decide how to spend the money and I would still choose to support the work of our sports college,” he said.
The government has completely cut the Youth Sport Trust money which funded more unique sporting activities in primary and secondary schools but it was never part of the school’s main budget pot.
Mr Pettengell said it was disappointing because it funded valuable partnership sporting activities across all schools in the area.
“It will affect the manager of the scheme who’s based here and sports not normally carried out in schools but it will not affect the main school budget,” he added.
See next week’s Chronicle for more reaction.
By Anna Williams