One of the most welcome aspects of Chancellor George Osborne’s spending review was the commitment by this government to hold a review into the funding agreement for schools.

It has been a long time coming and hopefully will redress the imbalance between the money local education authorities have to distribute to their schools.

In some parts of the country schools receive more than double the funding per pupil than in others. Shropshire has, for a very long time, been at the lowest end of the funding spectrum, having significantly less per pupil than most authorities. This, as you can imagine, dramatically affects provision, resourcing and staffing, with many Shropshire schools having to cope with less money than many of their counterparts around the country.

As a rural county it has a dramatic impact on the provision that schools can make for their students, the responsibility allowances schools can pay their staff, recruitment and retention factors.

Funding affects transport and a lack of access to resources and facilities, due mainly to the geographical location of the school.

This will in part be redressed by adopting a fairer funding policy. Schools in Shropshire, especially more rural institutions will have a little more funding to make additional provision for their pupils.

Will this make any difference to the quality of educational experience for our students?

Undoubtedly, as it will enable school leaders to plan financially more securely, to recruit and retain high quality teachers, teaching assistants and support staff and resource a school adequately to meet the demands of a 21st Century curriculum which prepares our students for the world that awaits them.