Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given schools in West Sussexa £1,187,064 Christmas present.

The cash is an increase in the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have.

The Pupil Premium is a major Liberal Democrat priority that is being delivered by the Coalition Government.

In West Sussex, 1,629 pupils are expected to be eligible, meaning that our schools are set to benefit from an extra £1,187,064 to support disadvantaged children.

The Pupil Premium covers any primary or secondary school pupil that 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.

Commenting, West Sussex Lib Dem Education spokesman County Councillor Bob Smytherman said:

“Liberal Democrats are building a strong economy and fair society where everyone can get ahead.

“To do that we need to make sure that children are not held back by poverty and disadvantage.

“For too long, social background has been a deciding factor in a child’s chances for the future.

“I am proud that the Liberal Democrats are helping every child in West Sussex to reach their full potential.

“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.”

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Schools Minister, David Laws said:

“We are already seeing across the country how the Pupil Premium is making a difference to children’s lives. Extra tuition, better IT resources and closer work with parents are all examples of how the Pupil Premium is being used to support the most disadvantaged pupils and benefit all their classmates too.

“That’s why I’m so pleased that, next year, we’ll be extending the Pupil Premium to another half a million children, and increasing the money that schools get to £900 per pupil.

“This means that, as a result of Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government, more children will get a better start in life.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

To see the Pupil Premium allocation for individual schools in West Sussex visit:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/a00218077/funding-settlement-2013-14

By 2015, it will be worth a total of £2.5bn a year to schools in England.

The Pupil Premium was one of four policy priorities that the Liberal Democrats put on the front page of their 2010 General Election manifesto. The others were: raising the point at which you start paying Income Tax to £10,000 to give people on low and middle incomes a £700 tax cut; creating jobs by making Britain greener; and measures to clean up politics. The Pupil Premium was one of the key measures argued for by Liberal Democrats during the Coalition negotiations.