0:01:23 > 0:01:33Here in the east, a new report on the people premium, not all is
0:01:33 > 0:01:33
0:01:33 > 0:30:12Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1719 seconds
0:30:12 > 0:30:20being spent directly. The Swedish That afternoon, our guest is they
0:30:20 > 0:30:25that roughly MP, and the chair of the Cambridge Labour Party. Coming
0:30:25 > 0:30:29up, the Pupil Premium. A new report by one of our MPs looks into what
0:30:29 > 0:30:35it is actually being spent on, but we can reveal at least some head
0:30:35 > 0:30:40teachers are using it to plug gaps in funding elsewhere. First, the
0:30:40 > 0:30:44unemployment figures. Another increase in our region. Up by 3,000
0:30:44 > 0:30:51from the previous quarter. Told a number of people I'd have work in
0:30:51 > 0:31:01our region is 213,000. -- iota of work. David, at long-term youth
0:31:01 > 0:31:03unemployment doubled in the region. It is an appalling figure, we need
0:31:03 > 0:31:10it Cup National Insurance on employers, and they will employ
0:31:10 > 0:31:14more people. Inevitable that the Government should find itself in
0:31:14 > 0:31:19this difficulty because of what it was handed by the Labour government.
0:31:19 > 0:31:27I do not think so, what we need to do now is paid a tax back on the
0:31:27 > 0:31:31bankers. That would save that generation. The Swedish
0:31:31 > 0:31:37unemployment rate is lower than ours, but what do we think about
0:31:37 > 0:31:44their schools? Michael Gove, the education secretary, thinks a great
0:31:44 > 0:31:53deal. It was inspired by a visit to Sweden. Three schools are set up by
0:31:53 > 0:32:03parents, charities are businesses. A new won in Suffolk will be run by
0:32:03 > 0:32:03
0:32:03 > 0:32:11a Swedish company. Can a foreign profit-making firms do a good job?
0:32:11 > 0:32:20Do you like Sweden? This is the school that impressed Michael Gove
0:32:20 > 0:32:24so much he decided to introduce free schools into Britain. It is in
0:32:24 > 0:32:34a suburb of Stockholm. It teaches local students in English and
0:32:34 > 0:32:40Swedish. The same situation. It is run by a company which owns 17 free
0:32:40 > 0:32:50schools across Sweden. This one is so popular, it has no spaces until
0:32:50 > 0:32:51
0:32:51 > 0:33:002021. We have happy children and happy children make happy parents.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04There are playrooms, a councillor, and healthy food. Students to go to
0:33:04 > 0:33:08the school's score some of the highest marks in Sweden. There is a
0:33:08 > 0:33:14heavy emphasis on discipline and good manners. The company is run by
0:33:14 > 0:33:20a former teacher from Burnley. strive to teach young individuals,
0:33:20 > 0:33:25the subject are important, but we develop the all-round individual.
0:33:25 > 0:33:35Three schools are free to attend. The government pays so much per
0:33:35 > 0:33:35
0:33:35 > 0:33:39pupil. -- free schools. What concerns some people is the role of
0:33:39 > 0:33:47profit-making companies like this one they can only make money by
0:33:47 > 0:33:54cutting costs. The student to teacher ratio is the highest. It
0:33:54 > 0:34:00means they do not hire as many teachers. They also hire less
0:34:00 > 0:34:05experienced teachers and none certified want. -- and certified
0:34:05 > 0:34:10teachers. They denied this claim, and they do seem to have young
0:34:10 > 0:34:15teachers, but the company says the results and the fact it has long
0:34:15 > 0:34:20waiting lists Stewart provides a good service. Our focus is top
0:34:20 > 0:34:26quality education, and how do we achieve that? It would be cutting
0:34:26 > 0:34:29off our nose to spite her face if we did not ensure there was quality.
0:34:29 > 0:34:37But you are getting exactly the same amount of money as every other
0:34:37 > 0:34:42school get sport taking on a pupil, so where is the money made? Is it
0:34:42 > 0:34:47because you are good at managing your costs? That is one aspect.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52They will charge a management fee for running the school. It was set
0:34:52 > 0:34:56up by local parents who did not one Brandon's only school to close.
0:34:56 > 0:35:03This policy has allowed a school to stay in Brandon all the way up to
0:35:03 > 0:35:07the age of 16, and also be a crucial part of the local community.
0:35:07 > 0:35:17There is only a handful of these schools in the region. The
0:35:17 > 0:35:17
0:35:17 > 0:35:20government wants many more. It will be no reduction in pupils at other
0:35:20 > 0:35:25perfectly good schools, and patients should be alarmed at the
0:35:26 > 0:35:30way money is being wasted on this philosophy. There are no more than
0:35:30 > 0:35:34700 of these schools in Sweden, teaching 96,000 students. Some
0:35:34 > 0:35:37critics question whether they make that much difference, and there are
0:35:37 > 0:35:47concerns they lead to greater segregation of communities. There
0:35:47 > 0:35:49
0:35:49 > 0:35:57is no escaping the fact they are very popular. Do the Swedish
0:35:57 > 0:36:01schools actually work? Have the improved results? You can visit
0:36:01 > 0:36:07three schools in Sweden and get a very positive impression, but I
0:36:07 > 0:36:15have been researching the schools and it is not a rosy picture
0:36:15 > 0:36:25entirely. In terms of attainment levels, segregation, and cost, it
0:36:25 > 0:36:25
0:36:25 > 0:36:31does not look that promising. they actually cheaper? -- will they
0:36:31 > 0:36:36be? They have actually increased the cost, not reduce it. That is
0:36:36 > 0:36:42because of bureaucracy and surplus of school places. In more general
0:36:42 > 0:36:50terms, are there are significant differences with the Swedish system
0:36:50 > 0:36:54of education and our system of education? Yes. If you look at the
0:36:54 > 0:36:59state school system it is organised on a comprehensive principle as
0:36:59 > 0:37:03opposed to the school system in England. You could not call a
0:37:03 > 0:37:06comprehensive any more, it has become more divided. This is not
0:37:06 > 0:37:11the case in Sweden, it is still a comprehensive school system you
0:37:11 > 0:37:17have there. It is changing, maybe, because of the increase of three
0:37:17 > 0:37:26schools, but they are still relatively small in number. -- free
0:37:26 > 0:37:32schools. They do provide choice. People do not like the school
0:37:32 > 0:37:36reorganisation in Suffolk. We are seeing waiting lists all over the
0:37:36 > 0:37:41country. We're also seeing surplus places. That is one question I
0:37:41 > 0:37:46would put back to the expert, what is the effect on the other schools
0:37:46 > 0:37:52in my area? I worry it damages the other schools. What is your
0:37:52 > 0:37:55experience of that? There has been an expectation that competition
0:37:56 > 0:38:00between a school will be too high attainment levels, and that has not
0:38:00 > 0:38:04really been the case. You have seen increased attainment level on a
0:38:04 > 0:38:13moderate level at lower secondary level. That is even now completely
0:38:13 > 0:38:18in the opposite direction. Should private companies be allowed to
0:38:18 > 0:38:24profit at the expense of the taxpayer? If they can cut costs and
0:38:24 > 0:38:29deliver higher standards that should not matter. It will still be
0:38:29 > 0:38:37free at a point of use. This is government money funding the school,
0:38:37 > 0:38:46and the company could be making a profit from that. But there will
0:38:46 > 0:38:52not be any charge to parents. early days, in my region parents
0:38:52 > 0:38:56think it is a free ticket to set up a school. There is a huge amount of
0:38:56 > 0:39:01bureaucracy which I think is putting some of, but it is also the
0:39:01 > 0:39:06case that it is not proven. If you have a group of parents now that
0:39:06 > 0:39:13are happy to Machin and help run the school, will they be doing that
0:39:13 > 0:39:16in 10 years' time when their children have left? There is a
0:39:16 > 0:39:21question mark about how sustainable some of these will be. It is
0:39:21 > 0:39:26certainly worth trying. I do not agree with the comparative analysis,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29we have a different system as the expert pointed out, we have
0:39:29 > 0:39:35streaming and setting within comprehensives, and I am not sure
0:39:35 > 0:39:40the comparison is terribly helpful. You mentioned in passing the word
0:39:40 > 0:39:44segregation, what do you feel the impact has been? In Sweden, the
0:39:44 > 0:39:53schools have certainly lead to social segregation of the last 10
0:39:53 > 0:40:00years. That is mainly due to the fact that free schools are attended
0:40:00 > 0:40:04by middle-class parents. This is a phenomenon you also see in England.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09That would not happen in rural areas, we would not see that kind
0:40:09 > 0:40:13of segregation. A new bill because people are prepared to travel. The
0:40:13 > 0:40:23other issue is the schools can imply teachers with virtually no
0:40:23 > 0:40:29qualifications. That is a very big worry. The question will be asked
0:40:29 > 0:40:37whether they actually raise standards. Thank you very much.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41From one of the Conservative key ideas on education to the Lib Dems,
0:40:41 > 0:40:46they have just published an you report on funding. Every school
0:40:46 > 0:40:51receives more money for any pupil entitled to free school meals, and
0:40:51 > 0:40:55an extra �2.5 billion is being added to the budget to fund it. We
0:40:55 > 0:40:59have discovered it is being spent in a variety of ways, not all
0:40:59 > 0:41:05supporting the pupils it is intended for. At this school in
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Corby it is not a shepherd's pie on the menu. Almost a quarter are not
0:41:08 > 0:41:14just served a free school meal, they also get an additional helping
0:41:14 > 0:41:21of Pupil Premium, �480 of money funding -- government funding per
0:41:21 > 0:41:28child this year. The government wants to close the gap in academic
0:41:28 > 0:41:34performance between lower and higher income families. The school
0:41:34 > 0:41:38is using the money across the board. We will use it for the benefit of a
0:41:38 > 0:41:46wider clientele than those students on free school meals, because that
0:41:46 > 0:41:51is a blunt instrument. It is not a perfect measure of the students
0:41:51 > 0:41:55that might need help. The head teacher at spends a lot of time
0:41:55 > 0:42:00doing administration, though he would prefer doing teaching. At the
0:42:00 > 0:42:06moment I cannot balance the books. This funding disappears into a
0:42:06 > 0:42:13great black hole. But it is funding that is useful. It is funding that
0:42:13 > 0:42:23perhaps I had not expected. Department of Education says a free
0:42:23 > 0:42:32school meal pupil has less than 33 % chance of reaching Level 2 in
0:42:32 > 0:42:38reading and maths. At high school, they have a chance of achieving
0:42:38 > 0:42:44less GCSEs. They are also less likely to study at university. That
0:42:44 > 0:42:51is why the coalition government introduce Pupil Premium. It was a
0:42:51 > 0:42:56key commitment in the Lib Dem manifesto. It was designed to give
0:42:56 > 0:42:59them extra resources. Norman Lamb has just carried out his own
0:42:59 > 0:43:04research to check where schools are spending the money. He wants to
0:43:04 > 0:43:08ensure it is not used elsewhere. am seeing already some really good
0:43:08 > 0:43:13practice in local schools, interestingly, a head teacher from
0:43:13 > 0:43:19Cromer said this is the first time disadvantaged kids in rural areas
0:43:19 > 0:43:29have been recognised by government. That enables them to do things like
0:43:29 > 0:43:30
0:43:30 > 0:43:40imply extra class loomed -- employ extra classroom assistants.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Pupil Premium partly pays for one- The National Union of Teachers
0:43:48 > 0:43:54welcomed the concept of Pupil Premium, but is not convinced it
0:43:54 > 0:43:58will address the needs of specific skills. Providing best guess at
0:43:58 > 0:44:03cash sum to anyone who falls into the category of free school meals,
0:44:03 > 0:44:09and we believe that is too general and inflexible to target money
0:44:09 > 0:44:19directly. The Department of Education says poverty is the
0:44:19 > 0:44:25
0:44:25 > 0:44:30single most important factor in Predicting a child's future.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34heard in that report that the Pupil Premium is welcome. Let me correct
0:44:34 > 0:44:38some inaccuracies, a new introduction he said to 0.5 billion
0:44:38 > 0:44:48extra was spent. It is not extra money, it was taken from other
0:44:48 > 0:44:48
0:44:48 > 0:44:51parts of the education budget. -- �2.5bn. What we're seeing from your
0:44:51 > 0:44:57report is head teachers are using it to cover up the cuts that are
0:44:57 > 0:45:00being made to their board of -- to their budget. The school down the
0:45:00 > 0:45:09road, he tells me they are no better off even though they have
0:45:09 > 0:45:13the highest level of pupils on free school meals in the county. This
0:45:13 > 0:45:16should be extra money to focus on supporting these pupils, and as we
0:45:16 > 0:45:25heard from some of the people in that report, it is not being used
0:45:25 > 0:45:28for that. There will be more money going to the poor pupils. It is for
0:45:28 > 0:45:32head teachers to decide, if they have a large number of pupils on
0:45:32 > 0:45:37free school meals, for them to make sure the money goes to help those
0:45:37 > 0:45:42individuals, what depresses me about this debate is we have done
0:45:42 > 0:45:47something good here, put more money on the heads of pupils who are
0:45:47 > 0:45:54disadvantaged, who could disagree with that? Let head teachers make
0:45:54 > 0:46:01that happen for those children with the extra resources. Should it be
0:46:01 > 0:46:09better monitored. --? He heard it had been used to build a bike shed,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12some of the money. I agree but government ministers cannot be
0:46:12 > 0:46:18responsible for decisions that should be decentralised to a good
0:46:18 > 0:46:24head teacher. If they are making pictures are bike sheds, it is up
0:46:24 > 0:46:27to the school to ask those questions. Who can dispute the
0:46:27 > 0:46:34policy of putting more money into budgets which have large numbers of
0:46:34 > 0:46:38free school -- disadvantaged pupils? What about the principle of
0:46:38 > 0:46:42basing it on the number of pupils getting free school meals? I have
0:46:42 > 0:46:46nothing against redistributing resources to poor people. All the
0:46:46 > 0:46:53evidence is money is being distributed away from the needs of
0:46:53 > 0:46:59the poor. The people in Basingstoke are getting �6 per head extra, the
0:46:59 > 0:47:07people Liverpool �200 less. The Pupil Premium is merely eight �2
0:47:07 > 0:47:12billion out of �50 billion. It is a drop in the ocean. Do you think it
0:47:12 > 0:47:20is a good idea? I have nothing against
0:47:20 > 0:47:24redistribution, but this is not necessarily the best measure.
0:47:24 > 0:47:34to our weekly round-up. This week, green measures take a back seat,
0:47:34 > 0:47:40
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Natural England's plans for a new conservation area as along the
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Norfolk coast where people would be banned have not gone down well.
0:47:47 > 0:47:53There is not a case for anything additional, and we should not be
0:47:53 > 0:47:57interfering with activities that have gone on for hundreds of years.
0:47:58 > 0:48:04Despite the National Trust decrying large wind turbines as a menace,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07investors are still in search of cheaper ways to keep the lights on.
0:48:07 > 0:48:12Southend airport hopes to increase its carbon footprint as it opens
0:48:12 > 0:48:19its doors to the new terminal. The big freeze was on author council's
0:48:19 > 0:48:23mind as it signed up to a zero % rise on council tax. Happy ending
0:48:23 > 0:48:30for this man who fell through thin ice on this forever. He rescued his
0:48:30 > 0:48:40dog. Adrenalin kicks in and you just think this is a precious
0:48:40 > 0:48:44family member. We could not let him die. Not to be recommended. What
0:48:44 > 0:48:52about wind farms? We are short of the target we hope to achieve by
0:48:52 > 0:48:562020. The best thing would be to insulate our homes better, which is
0:48:56 > 0:49:03why it is crazy that scheme is being axed. People do not wind
0:49:03 > 0:49:07farms -- do not want wind farms. That is why people wrote to the
0:49:07 > 0:49:13Prime Minister saying be huge amount of subsidy put into wind
0:49:13 > 0:49:17farms, which are not terribly effective, should be switched to
0:49:17 > 0:49:26more reliable forms of renewable energy, so there was a many
0:49:26 > 0:49:32rebellion. Many individuals in the region agree it is the wrong kind
0:49:32 > 0:49:38of renewable energy, it is also deeply unpopular and does not work.
0:49:38 > 0:49:44What about offshore wind farms? strongly support them. We have got
0:49:44 > 0:49:50no choice, we need to go for renewables, if we do not have that,