West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed further progress which will see £1.3 billion more added to core school budgets as the Government completes its review into the way school funding is calculated. The Department for Education has been consulting on a new formula and is attempting to redress the historical imbalance which has affected county schools. And Secretary of State Justine Greening yesterday confirmed the extra cash which will mean that real terms per pupil funding will be maintained, providing transitional funding as schools move towards the new funding formula. The new deal – which will take effect from the school year starting in 2018 - will mean that each school in England will get an extra half a per cent cash increase with some underfunded schools getting up to three per cent. The funds have been found from efficiencies within the Department for Education and this news will be welcomed by local teachers, headteachers and parents who have seen their schools make their own efficiency savings in recent years. Harriett commented: “It is obviously great news to see more money allocated for our local schools and I look forward to seeing the detail on this announcement. “Nine out of ten of our Worcestershire schools are good or outstanding and many do so within extremely tight budgets. I hope that parents and teachers will join me in welcoming this important next step towards getting the best possible funding deal. “This has been a matter where I have pressed both publicly and privately for a solution which offers financial security and stability to our high-performing local schools. “I welcome the news that we will get a new formula soon and am pleased that no school will lose out as part of this transitional funding arrangement.”