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?

Forgive me as I haven't read all the thread but this alarmed me. I suspect the pupils would be pleased though! How are working parents supposed to cope with this? Basically, the link discusses the possibility of a four day week at school.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38692692

Even those who can afford to send their children to private cannot do this if their children have SEN. The private schools do not accept them.

Elendon

I don't think you need worry about working parents in Alsager or Holmes Chapel.
Lots of Cheshire Wives who don't work, in that area

I expect more schools are going to start asking parents for monetary contributions like I've read some schools do.

Every single school in my very rural constituency is losing out, my DC's school are looking to lose 2 out of there 6 teachers

Some of us aren't in the UK, so its nothing to us. And some of us think you voted in this government and shouldn't be surprised that they are doing pretty much as expected.

But not all of us did vote them in and only Tory MPs voted for the current PM so nobody voted for the agenda she's currently put forward. Grammar expansion has been off the cards in all recent Tory manifestos for example.

That's helpful Gillybeanz. Your grin is disgusting, like you.

I'm particularly aware of the impact on sixth forms.

A Headteacher I know has very reluctantly decided that he can't offer any MFL A-levels at all from September. He's been doing it with 3-8 in a class for years and it's just not going to be viable any more. What this means is that there will be no state schools at all in his area offering languages at A-level.

My DCs' school has always felt itself to be underfunded (GS in a low-funded county) and even they say they are short by £400k this year compared to what they've had in the past. Classes in the sixth form are now 25-30 compared to 10-15 a few years ago; the number of teaching hours per subject has been cut; sixth formers used to be required to stay on site and do supervised work during "free periods" - now they go home; one of DS1's A-level subjects hasn't even been given any text books. The sixth form now feels quite chaotic. I feel massively sorry for the teachers.

I'm going to be opting out for DS2. With his SNs there's no way he could cope with a sixth form like that, so he'll be going private from September. I do know I'm lucky to have that choice, but it's certainly not a choice I envisaged making.

Here's what the Tory 2015 election manifesto said about school funding:

We will continue to protect school funding
Over the last five years, we have protected the schools budget and committed £18 billion for new school buildings, so
that children can learn in the best environment possible. Under a future Conservative Government, the amount of money following your child into school will be protected.
As the number of pupils increases, so will the amount of money in our schools. On current pupil number forecasts, there will be a real-terms increase in the schools budget in the next Parliament. We will continue to provide the pupil premium, protected at current rates, so that schools receive additional money for those from the poorest backgrounds. We will support families by providing free meals to all infants. And we will make schools funding fairer. We have already increased funding for the 69 least well-funded local authorities in the country, and will make this the baseline for their funding in the next Parliament. We will not allow state schools to make a profit.

What a pointless post user. If it has no effect on you why even bother commenting? And many of us didn't vote for the current government but have to put up with their decisions anyway!

Some schools in places like Yorkshire will gain.

You do know that Yorkshire covers many many LAs?

What a pointless post user. If it has no effect on you why even bother commenting?

Yes, how epically pointless of me to actually directly answer the question the OP asked
Cos thats not the point of a question, is it?

FFS.

Do you think schools want to do this and are turning down qualified maths teachers in favour of this option?

Of course I don't think the schools want to do it. Is it funding that is the problem though or a lack of teachers for certain subjects? My middle child was at a primary school where for a third of the week every week his class was left in sole charge of a TA who was clearly not very experienced. I was furious but was fobbed off by the school. I moved him to a different school not long after (for other reasons too). I suppose I am just bemused that one of the main arguments repeatedly given on MN for private schools being a poor option is the fact that some use unqualified teachers when actually it seems fine state schools are also using unqualified people to teach (or babysit).

Where in Yorkshire are they gaining. North Yorkshire isn't and York isn't and neither is Calderdale or leeds

Is it funding that is the problem though or a lack of teachers for certain subjects?

Lack of funding for education and lack of teachers for certain subjects are entirely related. Why become a maths or computer science teacher and be faced with years of no pay rises when there are plenty of better prospects where you won't be treated like crap in other sectors?

I don't know anything about use of unqualified teachers in private schools but I suspect that a private school who hires unqualified staff will be looking for someone of slightly better quality than 'has a pulse and a DBS check' which is what will get you a maths job in some schools.

I have just looked at the Buckinghamshire web site and found the relevant papers which discuss the schools' budget. We must be pretty unusual - we are getting an increase but it will be capped at 0.5%. Bucks has consistently been low in the per pupil spending tables so hopefully the schools will not be making too many staffing adjustments.

Where people say a school will have one teacher for 70 children, clearly this school is not viable as a YR - Y6 school. If it is a Head plus a teacher then it might survive. Most small schools are very expensive to run and don't work on 30 in a class like larger schools do. They often have a small school additional funding element in the formula which then is not available to other children in larger schools. If people want small classes, then perhaps there should be a local tax to maintain them? Won't be popular though!

Nowhere is finding it easy to recruit maths teachers, or science teachers. However, good schools find it easier.

I think the school cuts page has been updated since the formula has been published. My school wasn't set to lose that much before but I've looked again and it's down 9 teachers.

So if you looked a while back, it's worth rechecking.

Good schools also struggle to hire Maths and Science teachers. I could tell you several interesting Maths teacher stories but they would be far too outing!
We've started keeping a much closer eye on former students who express an interest in teaching while in school. Lots of former students on staff. Some originally hired on the Teach First programme (or whatever it's calling itself these days).
Another problem 'good for staff' schools have is their wage bill is often higher as the teaching body tends to be older.

gillybeanz I find your comment about Cheshire wives disgusting and very insulting.

I live in one of the towns that you quote and, almost without exception, every mum I know works, many in professional jobs. And I know plenty, both as friends, and as a parent of 2 teenagers growing up in the town. I have worked constantly since having children, and have a 35mile commute, so had a 4 day week happened when mine were younger, it would have severely affected me, and many people I know

In fact off the top of my head I can only think of one mum that I know of who hasn't done paid work whilst having children.

Since you seem to be so knowledgeable, I would be interested in knowing where you get your local information of non-working mums from? Because it certainly does not reflect the working demographic of mums in my town!!!

So yes, a 4 day week will massively affect working parents in Cheshire. As will 6th forms being closed, which is an alternative option. My 2 are no longer at the local school (now at uni and college) but they are as stunned as I am that our local school could lose its 6th form. One left it last summer, the other has many friends still in it.

I would love to be a maths teacher but Iast time I checked I needed A level maths to do the teacher training which I don't have and I don't have the £££ to do an A level maths course. Perhaps the govt need to look at paying for the course fees of A level maths for those who take up a degree to enable them to be maths teachers.

I am worried -both schools my children attend look like they will be affected. The primary will lose a teacher - the secondary will apparently lose 5.

It's only become apparent since eldest started secondary there that they are already managing shortages.

It's very worrying - but other than try and mitigate effects on my kids I'm not sure what to do. The schools them selves aren't talking to parents about any of it. I certainly didn't vote for this party and their cuts.

Write to your MP.

I will do - but it's a labour MP and labour party seem ineffectual on all issues at the moment.

For those who asked what areas are gaining and who is happy about this, my MP is Nigel Huddleston and says the area will gain 2.5% on average. What he doesn't say is the effect on already deprived areas, which appears to be the case here.