May 17, 2021 1.11 pm This story is over 34 months old

Council fights back study that put North East Lincolnshire among lowest pupil spenders

Research puts authority in lowest five
Attendance levels haven't gone back to pre-pandemic levels | Photo: Adobe Stock / Monkey Business

A research study has found North East Lincolnshire Council has one of the lowest educational spend per pupil — however, authority bosses say the figure is actually much higher.

Research from Education Technology company Promethean, which analysed government spending data for 2014-15 and 2019-20 , found the council spent £1,738 per pupil — with a net expenditure of £42,656,000 between 24,539 students.

Authority bosses, however, argue that the figures have not taken into account a further £92 million which goes to academies.

Councillor Ian Lindley, portfolio holder for children, education and skills at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “These figures do not take into account the £92 million that goes directly to academies in our area.

“When you take this into account, our spend per pupil is closer to £5,500, on par with other areas.

“Investment in good quality education is vital in making sure that local children get the best start and can go on to achieve their ambitions.”

According to the national data, Rutland has the lowest education spend at £1,489 for its 7,980 pupils – a total of £11,881,000. It is followed by Bromley (£1,599 per pupil) and Kingston Upon Hull (£1,666 per pupil).

The five highest education spending authorities were all in London, but Islington topped the chart with £8,105 per each of its 25,581 pupils – a whole 137% difference.

According to the figures from the research company, Lincolnshire had a spend of £3,064 per pupil, spread across 111,007 students for a total of £340,082,000.

Meanwhile, North Lincolnshire had the highest of the Greater Lincolnshire spends with £4,077 per each pupil. A total of £102,238,000 across its 25,077 students.