Showing posts with label Caroline Lucasm fairer funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caroline Lucasm fairer funding. Show all posts

Saturday 13 May 2017

School Funding Crisis: Caroline Lucas details the impact on provision


It is good to see that the schools budget crisis which could see the loss of hudreds of teaching and teaching assistant jobs, narrowing of the curriculum and larger class sizes is becoming a prominent election issue.

Ahead of the Education Question Time event I publish here the submission made by Caroline Lucas MP tin March o the consultation on the new school funding formula. Although the context is Brighton many of the issues also apply to Brent:

 
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Submission from Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Pavilion 


Introduction


Ahead of this submission, I have contacted the Head Teachers serving the children and young people in Brighton Pavilion constituency to ask for their views.  The message back in response from Head Teachers is clear and consistent:

  • School funding is in crisis
  • Current budgets are unsustainable
  • School budgets are being pushed beyond breaking point
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One Head with ten plus years’ experience told me the impending crisis is “unprecedented”. 

This is also the message in a letter, dated 13 March, signed by 44 Brighton and Hove Head Teachers and sent to all 3 Brighton and Hove MPs.  The letter is included as Appendix One to this submission.  Appendix Two includes a letter and statement from the Brighton City Partnership for Education, which is sent jointly with 13 other counties.  The Education Partnerships sets out in stark terms the dismay felt by school leaders over the Government’s decision to continue to divert significant monies to Free School provision and Grammar School expansion when this does not always guarantee value for money.  They refer to Department for Education (DfE) “decisions that seem to entirely ignore the wishes and needs of dedicated and committed school leaders”.  I urge Ministers to listen to the very genuine and persuasive concerns of education professionals.