Impact of new cuts to state school funding

[Novotelchok]

There are a lot of headlines just now about further cuts to state school funding - through inadequate central government funding of pay rises & NI increases, and pupil premium not going up enough. I'm not in England so only know what's in the papers - I'd be very interested to hear how this is impacting schools/ children / families.

I'm not a journalist, just an interested parent & a voter who is pretty worried by what seems to be Austerity 2.0.

What now??

HappySheldon twistyizzy

Sorry, not sorry, There are far too many people that give a shit when it affects them.

Schools are even more fucked if they are in the areas of lowest funding rate per pupil

Why did you say "Now that this has happened to the state sector I feel more 'we really ARE all in this together"
as if the state sector has been rolling in clover all these years and poor private school parents had the VAT thing sprung on them for no reason and were up till today the poor victims of the education sector? And it's only now that anything bad has happened to the state sector at all?

The state sector has been in the shit for years. The VAT on private schools thing has nothing on how the state sector has been treated.

Get lost! Sick of this accusation.

tbf Ive occasionally stumbled onto the VAT boards & many seem to stress that because they were now priced out of private schools they would take that money to buy houses in catchment or snag the grammar place and push out poorer pupils. Someone mentioned spending 16k or similar on tuition.

@twistyizzyi have no idea why posters are taking it out on people who care about education on here.

Labour are responsible for this woeful policy and others which impact state. Aggro should be aimed at them.

It’s so depressing to see now the VAT is shown to be a bad sham.

As far as I can tell the government has asked all departments to make further cuts to their budgets and the DofE has said 'ok, here's our list of where to make cuts next' and its stuff like universal free school meals at primary, which is fair enough to be on the list as it's not means tested. But if means testing the winter fuel allowance looked bad for Labour, imagine how taking food out of the mouths of small children will look, so they will be rightly hesitant.

But it rather makes the point that in education, everything else that is even remotely palatable to be cut has already gone.

Fine- fair play. @noblegiraffe I don't disagree. I think what I was trying to express (badly perhaps) was that I never ever expected a Labour Government to shit on the state sector. Never. And I am shocked. Not in a good way. I think they have betrayed every single thing they claimed to stand for. Not just in education. Christ- look at what they are doing to benefits. It's really surprised me and made me really worried for the destruction they are going to cause. I did not vote for them (Or the Tories) but I had a hope they might make things better.

But if means testing the winter fuel allowance looked bad for Labour, imagine how taking food out of the mouths of small children will look, so they will be rightly hesitant.

Absolutely-it's shite optics, no matter how you look at it.

Especially with subsidised food and booze for MPs and 28% pay rises!

It isn't just about money though ... Maybe some rich parents still feed their kids utter shite for breakfast and dinner (or dont feed them). I think it's about guaranteeing that up to year 2 in term time kids get a proper meal 5 times a week. Inequality exists in other forms than monetary.

By arguing among ourselves state vs private we really are playing into the hands of Bridget and Rach.

But they are replacing infant free school meals with free breakfast club!

I'm in London & we have got fsm for the whole/majority of primary I think.

They stopped means testing it.

It isn't just about money though ... Maybe some rich parents still feed their kids utter shite for breakfast and dinner (or dont feed them). I think it's about guaranteeing that up to year 2 in term time kids get a proper meal 5 times a week. Inequality exists in other forms than monetary.

I agree thus is the principle behind the policy

The state sector has been in the shit for years.

I don’t think many would disagree with you. It’s precisely why many choose private education, if they can afford it. However, further cuts won’t improve the state sector. The Labour Party bleated on about how they’ll improve things. They’re doing nothing of the sort; they’ll make it even worse than it is now. This government is failing all our children, knocking down the education sector for all children.

I think, and I'm not an economist so this is more of a vibes-based opinion, that we knew the public finances were in an utterly dire state after covid and that the public sector was basically destroyed by 14 years of Tory defunding. We were warned about black holes in public funding (and I can see this in things like school rebuilding, particularly around RAAC).

We also know that Trump is catastrophic for Europe. That there is a real threat of war and we can no longer rely on our previously closest ally. That defence spending needs to skyrocket,

So if we also have a Labour government who are doing things like making massive cuts to the education budget, cuts to PIP, taking money from pensioners etc in a way that would make a Tory blush.... things must be truly fucked.

I don't think that Labour politicians came into government in order to do this sort of thing, so if they are, put it together with the other stuff and it doesn't look good.

I'm not taking anything out on those that care about education.
I am taking it out on those that claim to care about education.
State education has been in a mess for years, underfunded and undervalued.

Yet lots of people on here claim to be putting their children into private education for altruistic reasons, which they are just doing to salve their conscience.
Even in this thread we have those that are protesting by putting the money that they would be spending on private education in to improving their own pension.
Its their money do what you want with it, but don't pretend that "we are all in this together", because they are no where near those that can barely buy shoes for their kids.

Yeah I agree with that @noblegiraffe

OK so then don't have a go at parents who use independent schools for not caring about state? You didn't care when independent schools are being attacked so then why do you expect parents using indy schools to care when state schools are attacked?
Thankfully we aren't all as narrow minded as you and some of us think that to attack any form of education is morally wrong and that we should all stand up for good education no matter how, or where, it is delivered as a matter of principle

That’s not correct.

“Especially with subsidised food and booze for MPs and 28% pay rises!”

Exactly, this is really annoying me! The most! Lead by example. All well and good for EVERYONE to cut back, but start with yourselves.
I think we should campaign to make the whole of Westminster booze free for starters. It is absolutely shocking that we have politicians drinking when running the country. I really dislike that. It is so unprofessional and that culture needs to be eradicated.

As regards free infant school meals, this was to equalise so they all eat together. If it goes a lot of the richer parents will send in packed lunches and the children won’t eat together. I find that sad for little children. It makes them feel poor and different even as 4/5/6 year olds. That is why I am against it.

Why didn't you expect Labour to shit on state schools?
Didn't you question the soundbites during the election/scrutinise the manifesto around education?
Where you happy with them making the UK the first country in Europe to tax education because that didn't affect you?
Sorry but any government that actively chooses to tax education is NEVER going to support education as a concept.

Some of us were trying to warn people 18 months ago about this but we're constantly accused of being 'Tory bots' pr worse. This is NOT the Labour of Blair's Education, Education, Education and anyone who thought it was was naive at best.

Perversely cutting universal infant free school meals will actually help some schools balance the books. The government doesn't fund the full cost, and schools have to make up the difference. So if you take that away it will help them cut their overspend. Shame children will have to go hungry.

Cutting budgets is a nonsense. Many schools are already in deficit with nothing left to cut and staffing levels already bordering on unsafe. The school I'm governor at is in deficit and there's nothing left to go, everything is cut to the bone.

Apparently you are as narrow minded as me, as to quote another poster
"you don't know what I care about."
But be happy in your hypocrisy.

Same here
State then Private then State. Based on the best option for my child each time
I am also a Governor at 2 State schools