Lib Dems bid to solve poor exam record for disadvantaged pupils (Grantham and Stamford Liberal Democrats)

Grantham and Stamford Liberal Democrats <info@granthamstamfordlibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems bid to solve poor exam record for disadvantaged pupils

February 14, 2012 2:54 PM
Originally published by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats

Cambridgeshire has one of the lowest records in the country for helping pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential.

The county comes 12^th from the bottom in league tables for achieving five A* to C grades in GCSEs including English and Maths; only 25 per cent of the pupils on free school meals achieve these targets.

In a bid to close the national performance gap, Liberal Democrat Children's Minister has allocated an extra £600 per Free School Meals child, the Pupil Premium.

With this money schools will be able to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds by providing extra one-to-one tuition, more teaching assistants or after-school activities.

This year, the amount available nationally for the Pupil Premium will be doubled to £1.25bn and this will increase to £2.5bn by 2014-15.

Peter Downes, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson and former secondary school headteacher, said: "The gap between those who do really well and those who don't is too great. Unfortunately, how wealthy your parents are has been a deciding factor in a child's chances for too long."

Cllr Downes, who represents Brampton and Kimbolton on Cambridgeshire County Council added: "As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we cannot let this continue and that is why we must help children reach their full potential. In the Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats' budget amendment we propose to enhance the Pupil Premium by £250 per pupil in the eight most deprived schools in the county."