YORK schools could lose out on more than £286,000 funding for vulnerable pupils this year, warn Liberal Democrat councillors.

They say a change to the way government calculates the funds means fewer disadvantaged schoolchildren are counted.

Figures show the number of vulnerable York pupils has risen by 229 since October 2020 - but those children will not be included in the funding calculations.

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson says the move could have an impact on pupils who are at risk of falling behind - and hit school budgets.

But a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said school funding in the UK is set to increase by £14 billion over three years and a recovery fund has been launched.

Government-funded schools get extra money for every disadvantaged child, to help pay for free school meals and improve their exam results. The fund is called the pupil premium and amounts to £1,345 a year for each eligible primary school pupil and £955 for every eligible secondary school.

But the government is using numbers from a school census in October 2020 to calculate the number of disadvantaged children who qualify for pupil premium funding. Lib Dem councillors say the most recent figures - from January 2021 - show there are an additional 173 disadvantaged primary pupils and 56 more disadvantaged secondary schoolchildren.

They say these children’s schools would be eligible for a share of an extra £286,165 this year.

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson said: “Whilst York’s teachers have gone above and beyond during this incredibly challenging time, we know that schools are facing genuine financial struggles due to significant increases in costs to support their pupils, particularly those at risk of falling behind.

“The government must put this right.”

“We are not asking for additional money here. Only for what schools would have received if this census date change hadn’t been implemented. This decision requires an urgent rethink to avoid the risk of more disadvantaged children falling behind.”

“During a time when the attainment gap is widening and children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, it is shameful that the Government would seek to cut pupil premium funding, directly contradicting their own recovery plans. Given the financial pressure that families are under, this change has real potential to cause harm and will have a direct impact on the quality of education schools can provide for those who are in desperate need of more, not less, support.”

A DfE spokesperson said the October 2020 figures were used to calculate the funding so that schools could know their budgets earlier and plan ahead.

They said: ““Pupil premium funding is expected to increase to more than £2.5 billion next year, and per-pupil rates are unchanged - so a typical school will see an increase in its pupil premium allocations this year compared to last.

“Any pupil who becomes eligible after the October census will attract funding in the following year.

“We have provided a £14 billion increase in school funding over three years - the biggest uplift in a decade – and school leaders can target our ambitious recovery funding, including £1.4 billion announced today, to further support disadvantaged pupils with their attainment.”