School Funding - impact on your school

[TrollMummy]

We have just been told by our HT that due to funding cuts the school will not be renewing the contracts of some TAs and that things like music and sport will be scaled back in the coming year. The school will be looking to parents to provide essentials like paper and stationary and things are only going to get worse according to the HT.

I wondered how this is impacting other schools. AIBU to think the cuts in school funding should be a big big issue in the election?

Sorry MN, shouldn't have mentioned a specific theme park.

I object to money being spent on something that will benefit a few
Why? all schools have admissions criteria? Its not benefiting the few anymore than any school is!

others are told to just suck it up and tighten your belts
Everyone is doing that, grammar schools are no different.

I have no objection to spending on new schools
So why are you complaining about new grammar schools. Would you complain about a new free school, a new academy, a new faith school, a new school in Newcastle, a new school in London , a new music school, a new UTC, a new school in an expensive catchment... I mean what is your actual complaint or is it just some sort of prejudice?

this should be for the benefit of all
It is, it benefits our children which benefits us all.

Why not put money into existing schools
Because we have more children so we need more schools.

rather than cutting their funding?
They are not cutting the funding they are just not increasing it because we still have a deficit.

If primary schools are struggling then' ... Grammars are even less likely to succeed
All schools will struggle, grammars wont struggle any more or any less.

Grammars are by far the hardest hit schools

They are not cutting the funding they are just not increasing it because we still have a deficit

So if costs are increasing in schools and those increases aren't being funded, what should be cut in schools?

I object to spending money on any school that will exclude at least 80% of the local children from applying for no good reason.

I'd also object to new faith schools, and would definitely object to a new UTC as they're a complete waste of money; they keep closing down shortly after opening.

*Corbyn (having TAs in the '80s might have been useful )

One of my dc is at one of the hardest hit schools. It's because there are no SEN children there.

Do you mean children who qualify for the Pupil Premium additional funding?

I have 4 children in my class who would have been in special schools in the days before TAs. Only 2 of them have a full time TA, one of them has a part time TA and one has no support at all.

Parents may not notice the impact straight away but those of us working in schools are already noticing a big change.

If this goes ahead, my children's school will close

I object to spending money on any school that will exclude at least 80% of the local children from applying for no good reason.

Why? all schools exclude pupils due to their admissions criteria. Why are you singling out one group of children. Prejudice?

Seems to me that the liberal elite are happy to exclude if your poor and get very antsy when you talk about equality of ability. Hypocrisy?

all schools exclude pupils due to their admissions criteria

You'll notice that I said local children. Why, when there is a need for more school places, would you prioritise opening schools that the vast majority of local children can't go to?

and the tories will still be voted in....madness!!

You'll notice that I said local children
So your happy to exclude children based on the lack of wealth of their parents. I prefer a more equal system.

Anon it's pretty stupid to argue for grammar schools then accuse those who don't want them as being happy to exclude children based on lack of wealth when the overwhelming evidence shows that poor kids are mostly excluded from grammars.

You don't want schools that exclude children based on lack of wealth? Then you sure as hell should be against opening more grammars.

noblegiraffe its more stupid to argue that only rich families should be allowed into some schools and then claim your interested in equality. The idea of grammar schools is to select on ability, lets use that and improve on it.

How can you claim "poor kids are mostly excluded from grammars", when you have no idea what new grammars will be like. Unless your leaking from the government.

when you have no idea what new grammars will be like

Gosh, are you suggesting that the new grammars would be totally different to the current grammars? The ones that poor kids are disproportionately excluded from? We know that the 11+ discriminates against them. We also know that the 11+ is a flawed test and routinely allocates students to the wrong school, so rather than setting up schools for the more able, you'd be setting up schools for kids who did well in a flawed test on a particular day aged 11. Great idea.

Schools in rich areas will get better raw results than schools in poorer areas. The solution to that problem is to properly fund and resource schools in poorer areas, for all disadvantaged kids, using evidence-based interventions. The solution is not to open more schools which will mainly cater for the better off and give the odd lucky (and it will be on luck rather than merit) poor kid a golden ticket then pat yourself on the back for being inclusive.

Yes let's fund more secondary schools that select on ability while other schools are so desperate they holding fundraising days to pay for essentials and asking parents to donate toilet roll

And how expensive would it be to set up the 11+ and all the associated admin in the areas that will be 'lucky' enough to get these grammar schools? I expect the tutoring industry is beside itself with excitement at the prospect.

Unlike the education community who are appalled. Justine Greening was asked to name a single respected education expert who supports the proposals, and she couldn't.

Grammar schools just provide more for those whom the education system already works well for. Bright kids do well pretty much anywhere.

We need to be looking at investing in those at the other end of the spectrum. Those for whom the current educational system is not working. SEN and children with other disadvantages.

No change to our school, one of the schools that benefitted from adjusting funding allocation. Small rural primary in a non-wealthy agricultural part of the UK. PD, SEND, EAL %s all equal to or slightly higher than national average. We are keeping our 4 teachers, class TAs, and (funded) 1-to-1 TAs.

Anon123 Local Authorities have been prevented from building new schools when they have seen population surges or a need. They have only been allowed to expand existing schools which might not be suitable for expansion or not in the area that needed expanding. So yes I resent the mishmash of their being funding for free schools and new grammars but not for local authorities to build the type of school a needed in the place they are needed.

jelly
bright kids do well anywhere

At one time I would have agree with you. However having seen how bright children are sometimes treated I have changed my mind.

My child was ostracised, sneered at and sent out of the class for wanting to work - the mixed ability class wanted to watch a film.
She wanted to do science and maths A levels but was told oh we don't recommend that it's all very hard.
We ended up having to send her to a private school to enable her to do her choices - and did very well indeed.
The bright children were ignored and i don't think their needs were catered for at all.