Schools in Caerphilly County Borough will receive more than £11 million for their most deprived pupils between 2015 and 2017.
A Welsh Government report showed the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) is funding projects for pupils that would not be in place without it.
The PDG gives schools extra cash for children who receive free school meals to spend on what they feel best will boost their development.
The draft Welsh budget, agreed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, vowed to increase the PDG by £95m between 2015 and 2017 on top of the £262m spent during this Assembly term.
By 2017, each pupil entitled to the grant will receive £1,150 – despite overall education spending falling by £29m.
Caerphilly schools will benefit £11.3m from the fund in the next two years. As an example, Lewis Comprehensive School in Hengoed will get over £270,000, while Ynysddu Primary School in Cwmfelinfach will get more than £30,000.
Eluned Parrott, Liberal Democrat AM for South Wales Central, said: “Pupils who receive free school meals are less likely to get five GCSEs. We want to see an increase in social mobility in Wales. It (the PDG) is about the future of the economy. It’s about pupils getting the skills they need.”
The Welsh Government report shows that 71% of projects funded by the PDG in secondary schools are new and would not exist without it.
Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council, said: “Significant funding is provided through pupil deprivation grants to many schools in the County Borough where large numbers of free meals are provided for children.
“What is key is ensuring the impact of these grants on educational standards at schools is analysed because it is vital that this financial support plays a part in driving up outcomes for our pupils.”
Aled Roberts, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister, said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats secured the Pupil Deprivation Grant so that Wales’ poorest pupils would get a fairer start in life. Evidence shows that our scheme is having a hugely positive effect.
“However, we can’t be complacent and the Welsh Government must ensure that it is being used to target pupils that need help the most.
“We have ensured that Estyn, as part of the schools inspectorate process, will now be looking at how schools are using their Pupil Deprivation Grant.
“This is a positive move as it will now reflect badly on schools if they fail to use this essential grant for its intended purposes.”
Another example of the Welsh Assembly flushing millions down the toilet. The entire PDG concept is flawed and unfair.
The schools receive a grant dependent upon the number of children who receive free school meals. The schools are then free to spend this extra cash as they see fit. As we often see the money does nothing to help poor children, it does nothing to promote social mobility. The money only promotes stupid school schemes which are then written about on Caerphilly Observer e.g. pupils launching a radio, pride in the park clean ups, play equipment for use at break etc… If social mobility is wanted the money needs to be invested in improving teaching across the board.
It’s also unfair. Schools in poor areas of Wales will end up receiving more funding than schools in areas of Wales where parents’ income lies just above the threshold for free school meals.
Bring back grammar schools. Caerffili Boys Technical Grammar
provided an education as good as a public school. It is now St. Martins, a sink school with a host of educational and behavioural problems
It seems to me that too much money, time and effort is wasted at the wrong end of the spectrum, education appears to be dumbed down to the default level of the slowest learners and the bright intelligent kids aren’t being stretched to their full potential, and then the Welsh Assembly whine that education standards are falling behind England. Spend £11 million on the slow learners and maybe 10% of them will leave school with a few good qualifications, but spend that £11 million on the clever fast learners and 100% will probably leave school with a hat full of qualifications and go on to be brilliant university students.
The Welsh Assembly seem to be obsessed with the concept of ‘mixed ability’ at the moment. The idea being having a class of thick kids and intelligent kids will lead to the intelligent kids dragging the think kids up while excelling themselves. Obviously it leads to the reverse with all being dragged down, but hey, it’s equality so all is okay in their eyes.
As you say classrooms of children with mixed levels of ability will only ever lower the overall result, schools need to have streamed classrooms, clever kids together at the top and stupid kids at the bottom, the problem is that children with low intelligence (thick) are being told they can be anything they want and those children with high levels of intelligence are just not reaching their full potential, so what we are slowly beginning to get is a dumbed down society with stupid people in good jobs ie bank managers, police officers, politicians, social workers, nurses, council officials….etc, and this is no good for anybody or the economic future of the country.