To ask Headteachers and SLTs is it really that bad?

[Paris2023]

Press since the start of term and now more recently has focussed on schools running out of money. Perhaps having to shorten days to cover outgoings. With more recent news of further austerity and I believe limited funding what do current HTs and members of SLTs think?

what is the solution if more money isn’t available? A lot of money is being swallowed by higher energy bills.

twitter.com/RealGeoffBarton/status/1584086884140998656

"Our analysis shows an average primary school in your constituency will be facing a £35-45k shortfall by September 2024; an average secondary school a shortfall of £200-250k, equating to 4 to 5 teachers":

How many schools can raise £35k via the PTA? I'd imagine it's very few. Let alone £250k.

If you lose 5 teachers from an average secondary school, as others have said, you're realistically looking at A-level options or GCSE options, or both going. And larger class sizes in the rest.

Larger class sizes, less staff. 80% of budgets go on salaries. But this leads to an education not of the same quality. MC parents can afford tutoring, some will go private.

There needs to be drastic action and no pussy footing around anymore.

The education we’ll have in this country will no longer be ‘diverse’ we won’t be able
to offer a wide education. This will impact our overall ability to create an educationally diverse workforce. A domino effect on the economy.

Perhaps striking is the way forward.

Can I just say to all those who are saying- get the PTA to raise some money: it is nigh on impossible to get people to volunteer for PTA events anymore.

I chair a PTA at small school and there are three of us working hard to raise around £2,000 a year in our rural area. The other school in the village doesn’t have a PTA because no one wants to do it. The big secondary school I teach at doesn’t have one either. Because people are too busy or have other priorities.

It is far from easy to raise funds when no one wants to help out.

Our primary where my kids go are really struggling we keep getting emails

• Mrs Jones (TA) is leaving
• please click on this link to see if you qualify for pupil premium for your child
• begging emails can we have glue, paper, wool, card, felt-tips/ randome craft stuff
• come in non uniform this Friday and send a raffle prize in for various draws

The primary isn't in an academy trust and it's been invited into one but they don't seem keen - no info in the public domain just heresay

It's a very sorry state of affairs - I feel sorry for the teachers

@Paris2023

We aren’t allowed to strike over school funding. We are only allowed by the government to strike over our own pay and conditions.

We are also told we could lose our jobs for making overt political statements in school.

And those who can't afford tutoring? What about them?

Also, tutoring can't usually replicate practical elements of e.g. science and DT etc- which will go on safety grounds if classes are too big.

Last year, I had a Y7 class of 34, Y9 class of 33, a Y11 class of 32. What size class is acceptable to most parents? Once a class got over 32, I refused to do practical work with them, as I didn't have enough suitable space in the lab.

A lot of these cost increases also apply to the private sector- certainly heating bills etc do. And realistically salaries will go up in some schools if state school salaries increase. I'd expect to see school fees going up a lot over the next year, if anything, I'd expect to see students returning to state from private.

As others have said, investing in education is paid back down the road. It should be the absolute last thing facing cuts.

And despite what you think, money could be made through taxing the rich.

You might be happy to accept crap state education, but a lot of school staff are not.

@Legrandsophie what’s required is lobbying of MPs by parents.

Very few PTAs can raise enough money to fill a budget deficit of £35k. And as you've said, secondaries tend not to have them at all.

I’m not happy to accept it, that’s why I started this thread. This in itself is advertising the issues to an influential parenting group.

Im a member of SLT in a secondary school and things are bad. Staff are at breaking point and there is no money to add more roles and the roles that are available (support staff) are so badly paid we can’t recruit. Teachers are leaving in droves and we are reliant on paying tens of thousands in supply costs.

for years now staff have gone above and beyond in schools to deliver the very best education and pastoral care for students. In my 20 years, this has always been a demanding job, but the lack of resources and staffing in schools is now crippling. We have several key roles unfilled in school and this work is falling onto other already stretched staff.

Many of my colleagues and myself are working 60 hour weeks so it is not a case of just doing “more”. We already are and have been for years.

But until parents see the impact on their own children, they will not care. Teachers will continue to be seen as “moaning” and the cracks papered over.

all parents should be deeply concerned about their own child’s educational experience over the next ten years if more funding is not made available quickly. Teachers are leaving in droves, support staff positions can not be filled.

I don’t think it’s coincidental there are huge MH issues in children, schools are extremely stressful places at the moment

A lot of your posts come across as very blithe and dismissive. It would be good to remember that e.g. when you talk about school closures, these are people's jobs, lives, communities you are talking about.

It doesn’t help with the immediate problem of needing the money up front, but depending on what type of appointment it is those on a low income can be eligible to be reimbursed. Here is the NHS page about it.

The schools I’ve worked in have some sort of central heating system they have no control over - it’s been nice the last week and the building is so hot we have all doors and windows open.

Complete waste.

Kids are allowed to take new paper rather than scrape paper for drawing etc - more wasted

Children allowed to print - and they make 50 copies of crap!

This is when things will get really difficult!

Ten years ago it was the norm for a primary classes in my area to have a full time teacher and a full time TA for each class (plus any extra learning support assistants for specific children with extra needs). Now these same schools have one TA splitting their time across 4 classes.

@Paris2023

Parent voice always gets heard. If parents start a campaign for school funding they can speak clearly and honestly. We are almost completely hogtied by the rules out in place by the government.

And based on the other teaching thread I’ve been on this week, we wouldn’t be believed.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl im trying to be realistic. I 100% get what you’re saying. I’m trying to think of what might be a solution if the funding gap isn’t filled and welcoming the responses on the thread as I’m learning a lot.

By no means do I believe parents should be funding gaps. There needs to be a movement and as a PP has said HTs and Teachers are unable to voice their concerns publicly (as too political) and they are unable to strike because of school funding. Therefore threads like these will raise awareness amongst the target group.

I hope by being ‘blithe’ I’m portraying a worst case scenario, not one I would want to happen. To create anger and protest amongst parents as in reality it is only them that can lobby their local MP.

^Ten years ago it was the norm for a primary classes in my area to have a full time teacher and a full time TA for each class (plus any extra learning support assistants for specific children with extra needs). Now these same schools have one TA splitting their time across 4 classes*

We are seeing this now, last three posts for replacing the class ta have been advertised as 1-2-1 for individuals so they won’t replace the class ones who hike up those trailing behind.

PTAs are not allowed to raise money to plug gaps in funding. They are only allowed to raise money for "extras". So even if there was a highly motivated PTA full of volunteers (unlikely), it's not going to pay the salaries or heating bills.

Local MAT - embargo on any staff recruitment across the trust, even though staff are leaving. An assistant HT carrying out the role of a deputy head teacher, but the trust refuse to pay her as a deputy and the same school only has a HT two days per week.
Teachers pay rise - MAT will only pay 2.5%
CEO earns in excess of £120,000, whilst sending newsletters begging parents to buy and donate new story books for the class libraries.

Another MAT, only one primary school - CEO (who was the HT ) left and a new HT appointed. Ex HT has returned, meaning this one primary now has two very senior leaders to pay. CEO desperately approaching fellow headteacher friends to join them!

Pearson lost the theory test contract to Reed. And you wouldn't a) want the randoms smashing up the school computer room when they fail (dp left the job shortly after being threatened with a knife for not changing a result, b) it's not economical for the test companies either when some of the tests require specialist equipment installed to home office requirements c) and the number of times there were cameras put into the toilets was ridiculous on an adult environment, never mind children d) they'd have to buy secure storage and lockers as people aren't allowed to take phones, watches, coats, hats, etc, in with them, all under cctv

Churches tend to expect it for free even though site staff then have to be paid and rest days covered. They have also caused damage before as it's not possible for them to supervise everybody coming on site or track where worshippers' children have gone. And the school would need 100% fully lockable rooms.

Even things like pitch hire costs - staffing, security, additional losses due to the gates being open, floodlighting, having to renew AstroTurf earlier to be able to charge enough.

It's an expensive business, trying to increase income.

All of what @NeverDropYourMooncup said, plus many schools with newish buildings that might attract lettings are in fact trapped in poorly-negotiated PFI contracts, meaning they barely have enough days to complete the school year and run a few revision sessions before they go over their allocation. Lettings are handled and monetised by a private company and the school sees one of it. I know of a school which sneaks students in for revision sessions during external bookings as they can’t run them otherwise.

I would love to volunteer as a TA, but i never see any postings advertised anywhere.

I also wonder how people view volunteers, as I worry they could be seen as someone that is taking away from someone that would need a salary.

You could try these threads to get up to speed with the issues

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4651549-teaching-assistants-quitting-schools-for-supermarkets-because-of-joke-wages?page=1

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4655919-teachers-balloting-for-strike-action-school-closures?page=1

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4623297-schools-facing-catastrophic-winter?page=1

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4593518-govt-announces-huge-cut-to-schools-funding-redundancies

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4590922-school-buildings-are-not-fit-for-purpose

Just to add - the first wave of those really poor PFI contracts will start to end in 2024 / 25 and will clobber those schools with absolutely massive exit fees if the DfE doesn’t start to intervene and support.