Norman Lamb has announced that the Liberal Democrats would invest £45m more in schools and colleges in Norfolk over the next Parliament.
This funding would reverse cuts to school and college budgets imposed by the Conservative Government, protect per pupil funding in real terms, and ensure that no school loses out from changes to funding arrangements.
More than £5m would be spent locally on the Pupil Premium, which the Liberal Democrats introduced in government to help the most disadvantaged children.
The funding is part of the Liberal Democrats’ national commitment to spend an extra £7bn on schools and colleges. It comes after a report by the National Audit Office found that school budgets will be slashed by £3bn in real terms by 2019-20 under current government plans – the equivalent to reducing spending by 8 per cent per pupil.
Norman Lamb recently conducted a survey of North Norfolk schools on their current funding situation, which found that many schools have serious concerns about the impact of the Tory Government's changes to school funding. Many schools said that they will be forced to cut teaching staff and increase class sizes to cope with cuts to their budgets.
“Under the Conservatives, funding per pupil is set to see the biggest cuts in a generation. Children in Norfolk are being taught in overcrowded classes by overworked teachers - and this situation looks set to get worse.
“My recent survey has shown that many schools in North Norfolk have serious concerns about the impact of the Tory Government’s changes to their funding. Several schools are being forced to make teachers and support staff redundant, and potentially increase class sizes which would have a damaging impact on children’s education. How can we possibly justify this?
"That is why I am announcing an extra £45m of funding for Norfolk, which would ensure that no school and no child loses out. We will reverse the damaging Conservative cuts to school and college budgets, and invest to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed."