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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that school budgets are going to fail our children

167 replies

BakeOffDisasters · 14/10/2022 07:08

I'm coming from this as a teacher and parent and I'm so worried about how things are going in some schools due to tightening budgets.

I'm facing a day without an LSA in a year 1 class of 30 today with a lot of challenging needs. Across our ks1, three support staff have now been signed off and there aren't enough LSAs in the school to cover. So that will be one LSA for four classes today. This will mean that children with the highest needs will miss out on the support they so desperately need for behaviour, emotional issues and academic needs. Supply agencies are too expensive for some schools so it turns into a skeleton staff.

My son has SEN and I'm currently in the process of looking for a school for him. From questioning management across schools, the message seems uniform that with the cost of living, budgets are tightening and this has a knock on effect to staffing, specifically support staff. All teaching and support staff are the most valuable resource to children in schools, without them, children will suffer.

I feel so disillusioned with it all right now.

OP posts:
Luxurysleuth007 · 15/10/2022 07:46

Budgets are tight now, just wait until they’re cut even more. Classrooms will be unrecognisable soon compared to how they used to be when funding was better.

mgmnt · 15/10/2022 07:46

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SeekingBalance · 15/10/2022 07:46

My son started reception this year, due to the books being so awful they changed to a new phonics programme...but they cannot afford enough books so they've taken all of their reading books away!

I'm a senco and sat in on some transition meetings, they have some very high needs children in that class waiting for their ehcps as the backlog is horrendous here, his teacher is fantastic and has been there 10 years but I worry for her.

Early years is just as hideous in nurseries, were expected to just put and meet the needs of some children who need specialist provision when we have no funding and are also in a recruitment crisis. I applied for a new job last night, due to our mortgage increasing but the thought of leaving those families behind keeps me awake at night.

Nina9870 · 15/10/2022 07:47

I’m an SEN TA and frankly, the school isn’t safe for the pupils.
we’re only just out of September and the number of staff off sick/ long term absence or just handing their notice in is through the roof.
we have small-ish classes (creeping up every year) and are meant to have two TAs in every class to support, but that never happens now.
The behaviour is becoming horrendous, unmanageable. I really feel for the teachers and students who are in a no win situation. It certainly is scary for our children. The government need to do much more. It’s a disgrace

toulet · 15/10/2022 07:48

A blind isn't "worth" 3 normal kids.

Spending more to support a blind child isn't saying they are worth more. God I can't actually believe your attitude to disability.

mgmnt · 15/10/2022 07:48

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Spikeyball · 15/10/2022 07:50

My view is that people should now stop having conversations the perpetrator of hate speech and Leave them to get banned.

KarenPirie72 · 15/10/2022 07:50

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You might have a point about the distribution of resources but your descriptions of SEN children are so disgusting you are losing your argument. I’d also ask your kids at posh school to teach you some grammar and punctuation, because you clearly don’t understand either, but no way did a parent write the posts. Troll off.

Forestfever · 15/10/2022 07:51

toulet · 15/10/2022 07:48

A blind isn't "worth" 3 normal kids.

Spending more to support a blind child isn't saying they are worth more. God I can't actually believe your attitude to disability.

I do wonder if she just thinks we should let people with cancer just die as well!

Sirzy · 15/10/2022 07:51

Teeheehee1579 · 15/10/2022 07:45

Super - that’s great that your child does. Most who need it don’t which impacts the whole class and I think it’s fine for us all to be frustrated by that. Schools need better funding and teachers themselves cannot manage classes with such varied needs with the funding that they have. Part of the point of this thread and why teachers are leaving in droves - no? No one said out of sight out of mind - you’ve gone there to dramatise my post but I do think it should be ok to say that some children should be in a better supported setting that mainstream school for the good of all children. Children with no obvious additional needs also have a right to a good education.

Show quote history

Posters like mgnt are very much after an out of sight out of mind.

i don’t think you will find one parent of a child with additional needs who will argue against the fact that schools are underfunded. But that isn’t the fault of the child who needs extra support. It’s not the fault of any child but some people seem to think painting it as children with additional needs are stealing from others is acceptable.

mgmnt · 15/10/2022 07:51

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toulet · 15/10/2022 07:53

You say "of course it means taking up additional resources", but the question you (and your ilk) fail to answer is why they should be entitled to those resources more than the clever, well behaved kids are.

I don't subscribe to the notion that all clever kids are well behaved for one & that all kids who have SEN are stupid.

I do think schools should cater for all dc so yes the bright ones should be stretched however I believe in society. I don't have a problem with my dc's school allocating more funding to a child with a disability, why would I? In the same vein someone with a disability will use up more healthcare resources than I would, again why is that a problem?

Brutalfeedback · 15/10/2022 07:54

Our TAs are often on sick leave.
We have one member of staff who goes on long term sick (for a whole term usually) - every autumn term. This year's excuse is that she damaged her knee while riding a horse but she's been seen walking her dogs at the local NT site. Last year she hurt her back while riding her horse and went on holiday abroad & stuck in on FB.

Then we have 3 others who take it in turns to have a "cold" every month.

It's such a small school (5 classes), that multiple TAs out of action causes so many problems. E.g the children in Yr3 have had one PE lesson since school started in September due to TA sickness.

The head teacher said the school cannot afford sick cover 😭

The teachers cannot cope, they suffer and the children suffer. It's awful.

toulet · 15/10/2022 07:56

I do wonder if she just thinks we should let people with cancer just die as well!

She probably does

Sherrystrull · 15/10/2022 07:56

Brutalfeedback · 15/10/2022 07:54

Our TAs are often on sick leave.
We have one member of staff who goes on long term sick (for a whole term usually) - every autumn term. This year's excuse is that she damaged her knee while riding a horse but she's been seen walking her dogs at the local NT site. Last year she hurt her back while riding her horse and went on holiday abroad & stuck in on FB.

Then we have 3 others who take it in turns to have a "cold" every month.

It's such a small school (5 classes), that multiple TAs out of action causes so many problems. E.g the children in Yr3 have had one PE lesson since school started in September due to TA sickness.

The head teacher said the school cannot afford sick cover 😭

The teachers cannot cope, they suffer and the children suffer. It's awful.

We have the same issue. The pay for support staff doesn't inspire commitment.

toulet · 15/10/2022 07:57

My view is that people should now stop having conversations the perpetrator of hate speech and Leave them to get banned.

Agree, but the fact they can label others stupid, wow! 😆

Brutalfeedback · 15/10/2022 07:58

Sorry, I was meant to add that it's so bad that the PTA are doing a volunteer drive to encourage parents to come in and help the teachers. They said they'll fund the DBS checks etc.

Obviously there's only so much a volunteer can do, but at least they're trying. The school is desperate

What a mess 😞

It must be horrible being a teacher right now x

OneInEight · 15/10/2022 08:00

It's a false economy. Educating children in a special school costs way more than in mainstream.
For local authority I think the figures per pupil are about double.
If you go into the independent sector then you can easily get to maybe eight times. Economically it does not make sense to remove support from SEN children in mainstream and then having to fund their education in special schools.
I guess the hope is that the parents home educate them instead !!!!

SPH112 · 15/10/2022 08:01

What I don't get is the government wants a high wage economy. How is this suppose to be done in the future if the children now are being failed in education. They really are not looking at the bigger picture

toulet · 15/10/2022 08:02

One thing I have noticed in primary schools is that a school in affluent area has the benefit of a lot of support physically & financially from parents. I said upthread about having a SEN fund which I had no problem donating to. We always have had parents helping with reading (I'm DBS checked) & trips. Lots of fundraising which raises a not insignificant amount. Obviously this cannot be replicated everywhere.

SixChancellorsInAMoneyTree · 15/10/2022 08:02

Ignoring the awful, ignorant attitudes of some for a moment…

I just wanted to chime in with the despair.
I am SLT in a secondary school. I also have a child with SEN.

I’ve never known things to be as desperate as they are currently. I’m also the DSL at our school and I am close to leaving because I just cannot guarantee the safety of our students with the current levels of funding for support staff. It keeps me awake at night.

Forestfever · 15/10/2022 08:03

OneInEight · 15/10/2022 08:00

It's a false economy. Educating children in a special school costs way more than in mainstream.
For local authority I think the figures per pupil are about double.
If you go into the independent sector then you can easily get to maybe eight times. Economically it does not make sense to remove support from SEN children in mainstream and then having to fund their education in special schools.
I guess the hope is that the parents home educate them instead !!!!

I think the hope from that poster is that you stick them in a special school and forget about them!

toulet · 15/10/2022 08:06

And the secondary we are looking at has a parent donation fund that they regularly request money for. I expect this is what will happen going forward with some schools been funded more & more by parents to fill the gaps. I would do this happily tbh.

In the same vein my GP told me if I could I should go private for something recently & know lots who have done so. It's an absolute shit show.

conkercollector · 15/10/2022 08:07

mgmt has zero clue.

There is no support for academically less able pupils. You do not get a 1:1 support if you have only academic needs. The teacher does their very best to meet those needs while also meeting the needs of the other children.

In my primary school, 1:1 support is only available if the child is eg, non-verbal ASD (and even then if well-behaved they will not be entitled to a full-time 1:1) or they are a danger to themselves and others pupils if left alone (eg they cannot be contained in the classroom and run off). Anyone who thinks otherwise should come and spend a morning on a primary school like mine. I guarantee you would be horrified.

We all work as hard as we can but are spread too thinly to be anything more than mediocre at times. All TA support goes on 1-2-1 and the other children get virtually nothing. There’s no one around to do first aid/support with toileting accidents/a child who has thrown up, a child who is upset etc never mind readers or small group support.

Yep. Our LSAs also do lunchtime supervision. It's got to the stage where teachers are having to step in although they are contractually exempt from lunchtime duties.

whatsagoodusername · 15/10/2022 08:09

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Fuck off.

My DS is "high needs". He is clever. He is going to be an engineer or an astrophysicist if we can get him through bloody school.

He learns just as quickly as any NT child. Quicker than many. What he doesn't do is tolerate nonsense from other kids. He can't handwrite quickly. He struggles with disruption to his routines and can't focus. He needs help regulating his emotions.

He's learning to deal with this, in addition to learning the curriculum. He needs the support. He is legally required to have the support. He has every right to be there and is perfectly capable of learning it with his support.

So just fuck off.