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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that INSTEAD of providing money for new schools, the budget should ensure that current schools have enough money

16 replies

amispartacus · 07/03/2017 08:50

To cover the increasing costs schools face.

There's a change in funding going around. Different slices of the pie. A lot of schools I work in are facing real budget cuts and are having to make difficult choices.

But somehow the Chancellor is able to find £320 million extra for free schools.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39183815

Head teachers have been complaining of an unfunded pay rise, extra national insurance payments and a freeze in the funding level per pupil.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies warned that schools faced a 6.5% drop in spending per pupil between 2015-16 and 2019-20 because of rising costs

OP posts:
alsmutko · 07/03/2017 08:54

I agree.

oklumberjack · 07/03/2017 08:54

Totally agree. It's crazy.

ghostyslovesheets · 07/03/2017 08:55

Yanbu at all - schools are on their knees - we don't need new schools we need adequate funding to allow existing schools to flourish

Original poster
amispartacus · 07/03/2017 08:56

A lot of schools affected are in Tory shire council areas - so I can see this causing an issue with Tory MPs. They are the only ones that May will listen to.

OP posts:
meditrina · 07/03/2017 08:56

More school places are needed. It would be totally wrong not to be creating them.

Original poster
amispartacus · 07/03/2017 08:57

It would be totally wrong not to be creating them

Schools need money. There is a real funding crisis in schools and the Government is in total denial about this.

OP posts:
Original poster
amispartacus · 07/03/2017 09:00

More school places are needed. It would be totally wrong not to be creating them

By creating new schools - or expanding current schools and giving them enough money to provide a decent education?

OP posts:
Iamastonished · 07/03/2017 09:12

I so agree with this. DD's school is one of the most underfunded in the country. They are in such a desperate plight that they were featured on the national news last week.

With the backing of the parents and our local MP they are campaigning the government for fairer funding. Our LA is also one of the most underfunded in the country, and it's no surprise that this is reflected in the results.

CasperGutman · 07/03/2017 09:22

We need to vote out the Conservativesource at the next election. But for that to happen there has to be an attractive alternative that can gain popular support. Any ideas, anyone?

meditrina · 07/03/2017 09:22

Expanding schools is one way to increase the number of places. But many schools are already stuffed to the gunnels and it's not always possible to build more on existing school sites.

London alone is expecting a shortfall of 110,000 places (47,000 of which at primary) by 2021 according to borough councils. DofEd was providing (Oct 2016) £1.1b to support their creation, and I am wondering if the current budget will actually be providing new money in addition to this, or if it will be a repackaging of an existing commitment.

Dormouse200 · 07/03/2017 09:29

I'm in Bristol which should be free school central as there are probably not enough secondary schools. And certainly not where they are likely to be needed as historically people in the nicer areas could afford private school (not any more though) - a new LEA/academy school opened, it has a catchment of about half a kilometer and house prices in that area sky rocketed.

Want to guess how many free schools were set up?

One, and they had to off-set the catchment so it served the area that actually needed a school. Even a pushy, middle class free school, desperately needed, does not have the pull to get a site in the right place without an LEA behind it. So free schools will never work.

Iamastonished · 07/03/2017 10:04

They tried to set up a free school in our LA a few years ago. It never got off the ground in spite of huge amounts of advertising. Just 9 sets of parents expressed an interest.

mummytime · 07/03/2017 10:29

I was very disappointed listening to John Humphries this morning that he didn't ask about the money wasted on free schools that never open or which close quickly as they can't recruit the pupils.

Original poster
amispartacus · 07/03/2017 10:31

John Humphries really annoyed me this morning - he kept discussing ideology when it's got fuck all to with ideology and all to do with the very real funding issue in schools that children attend.

OP posts:
Iamastonished · 07/03/2017 12:32

The very real things happening at DD's school today:
No SENCO - not enough money
Larger class sizes - not enough teachers
No learning support - not enough funding
No text books - not enough in the budget
Very little enrichment - who's going to pay for it?

Funding per pupil is almost half that in other LA's - and no-one knows why.

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