To ask the Minister of Education to detail how needs assessments are carried out to ensure schools in areas of high levels of deprivation are not disproportionately impacted by budget reductions.

Despite significant reductions to my budget, I have been able to maintain funding levels for school delegated budgets.

Following a report by the Independent Review Panel on funding arrangements for schools, changes were introduced to increase weighted funding levels for schools with significant concentrations of pupils identified as being socially deprived. Additionally, funding for schools received a further £10 million for distribution in the formula to help support schools with the greatest concentrations of disadvantage – to address underachievement among their disadvantaged pupils.

Within the finite resources available to the Education budget, I will continue to seek to maximise available funding for schools and to target resources to those children most in need.