To wonder why mn aren't bothered by the school budget cuts.

[minifingerz]

Posted on chat asking if parents are concerned about the coming cuts to school budgets, and how much their child's school is losing (or whether it will be one of the few to gain).

My dc's school is losing about 1K per child. Class sizes increasing significantly, school dinners will increase in cost, support staff being sacked right, left and centre. Some schools will have to get rid of almost all their TA's.

The cuts are really radical and coming at a time of big change in regard to GCSE's. I'm really concerned about it and I wonder why other people are not.

BTW I agree that schools outside of big cities have been historically underfunded. Just don't agree with robbing Peter to pay Paul. Surely the answer is to increase the overall budget for schools so that all schools have what they need to provide a good education for children?

[TeaCakeLiterature]

As a head of department I am very worried and think every parent should be. If they aren't their completely naive about the impact it will have for their child

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

Infant class size regulations to be abolished next?

[GreenGinger2]

"Yours"

But other areas have been struggling as you describe for years,where was the outrage then? Many lost their school library years ago.

Where do you expect the money to come from? The NHS? Caring for the elderly? Those already squeezed on benefits?

[llhj]

Green your arrogance and dismissal of these issues is breath taking.
Your attitude is why this country is so divided, truly you don't realise what a pawn you are in the government's determination to set people against one another so that they can't unite against them.
Rather than saying that we should be trying to match London funding for everywhere, your solution is to drag funding down to the lowest possible level and claim that these areas have coped. Clearly, they haven't and their schools are failing and pupil outcomes are dreadful.
Wise up.

[GreenGinger2]

Soo pupil outcomes in underfunded areas outside of London are dreadful and pupils are failing by default?

[noblegiraffe]

*Where do you expect the money to come from?^

Actually collecting taxes that are owed?

Cancelling shitty money-wasting projects like constantly reforming the education system?

Stop throwing millions at setting up Free Schools and UTCs which close down sometimes before they've even been opened because no one actually wants to send their kids to them?

Oh, and the millions that have been earmarked for grammar school and academy conversions.

Loads of potential savings before you start handwringing about taking the money from the NHS.

[DragonitesRule]

DD's school is already the poorest funded in the county and is set to lose £400,000. This is horrific-they already don't have text books and are taught by a large number of student teachers, yet the requirements of the students to achieve has been raised! How is that likely to happen?

[noblegiraffe]

green what do you think of Cheshire's 4 day week proposal? Reasonable?

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

HS2?

[GreenGinger2]

And it isn't arrogance to have a differing opinion.

[GreenGinger2]

And the reason there was no outrage before?

[noblegiraffe]

It's arrogance to have an incorrect opinion (this is all about London) yet still keep spouting it once corrected.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Green is demonstrating the problem.
The government have successfully put out their us and them narrative while putting in tax breaks for their friends.
A member of the upper class was able to avoid inheritance tax to the tune of the NHS deficit! That's crazy. Not all rich people avoid tax by the way. JK Rowling for example.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Green - there WAS outrage. All over the staffroom board. There were protests; the writer Alan Gibbons has been very active on that front.
ALSO THIS IS NOT A LONDON PROBLEM IT'S A NATIONAL PROBLEM I DON'T TEACH IN LONDON.

[NannyOggsKnickers]

Schools need more funding, not less. My school has struggled for the past five years and is now set to lose nearly half a million pounds a year under the new formula. We have already had to collapse classes together because they can't afford to employ enough staff. They aren't replacing a lot of teachers as they leave. English classes are now around 34 students and KS3 now do music/drama and dance for one term a year on rotation. Same for food/art and design tech. That's only one lesson a week.

[GreenGinger2]

I haven't said this is all about London but that for years some areas have struggled/ complained but not many cared. Now areas that have enjoyed funding unfairness are going to lose out suddenly it's an outrage.

[GreenGinger2]

There wasn't much outrage on MN which is what this thread is about.

[Phantommagic]

**But other areas have been struggling as you describe for years,where was the outrage then? Many lost their school library years ago.

Some of these struggling areas are being cut again. Teachers are subsidising the gaps for basics.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

No Green, those areas that were underfunded are having their funding cut! Alongside costs going up. Why haven't you addressed the article about an already underfunded authority that AFTER the change of funding formula will be even worse off.
And the money IS there to fund education properly. Education cuts are a long term false economy in terms of economic output and reliance on the state.

[NannyOggsKnickers]

The second phase of consultation is still open. Please comment.
consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/

[noblegiraffe]

Now areas that have enjoyed funding unfairness are going to lose out suddenly it's an outrage.

No. Every school is going to lose out. Do you think Cheshire has been 'enjoying funding unfairness'?

[minifingerz]

Greengage, the underfunding of schools outside of the capital is DEEPLY unfair.

It's also deeply unfair to take away practically overnight, a large amount of a school's budget which will leave a school struggling to recruit and retain staff.

It's ALL fucking shit.

But you seem to think the cuts are morally defensible on the grounds that some schools have had less?

That makes it ok?

[OddJobsHat]

Yanbu, let's hope there's a change of government next election.

[tinyterrors]

I'm in Yorkshire and every school near my dc's school will lose thousands. The only one near us that will lose less than £150,000 is the smallest school in the area with a one form intake.

My dc's school has a very high number of pupil premium children and a higher than average number of SEND children and we stand to lose over £200,000. I'm a govenor at the school and we haven't been told anything about the huge cuts never mind the parents.

If I hadn't seen threads about the cuts on mn I'd have had no idea.

[minifingerz]

Just shows how the strategy of setting people against each other works when it comes to gaining public acceptance of the indefensible.

I mentioned the cuts to SIL last night. She responded with a rant about asylum seekers coming here pretending to be under 18 and getting housed and educated, and how much that would cost the tax payer.