MP HELEN HAYES SECURES PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON LONDON SCHOOLS FUNDING
Dulwich and West Norwood MP Helen Hayes was set to open a Parliamentary debate on London schools funding in Westminster hall this morning (Wednesday).
“While I support the principle that all schools should receive fair funding, there is nothing fair about a proposal which would see funding cut from good schools in London” says Helen.
“I am extremely concerned that the excellent progress of London schools in the last two decades will be reversed as a consequence of these cuts to our local schools.
“I am calling on the government to urgently rethink these plans and to level up the funding so that all schools can deliver the excellent education every child needs.
“There is nothing fair about taking vital funds away from good schools in deprived areas to redistribute elsewhere in the country.
“Under the government’s proposals, and allowing also for inflation over the course of this Parliament, every school in my constituency loses significant funding, ranging from approximately £550 to over £1,200 per pupil.
“These cuts equate to significant numbers of teaching and support staff, as well as cuts in the materials, books, IT resources, extra-curricular activities and quality of school food.
“I have written to every head teacher in my constituency to ask them what the impact of the new schools funding formula will be on their day to day operations.
“They are clear that the impact of recent changes in government policy around pension contributions, employers’ national insurance, the national minimum wage and the apprenticeship levy, all of which are additional unfunded costs, are already having an impact on their budgets.
“Head teachers in my constituency are reporting being unable to afford to replace teaching assistants and teachers who have left, struggling to afford classroom materials and not having the funds to undertake repairs and redecoration works.
“They are also clear that, coming on top of these additional, unfunded costs, the cuts which would result from the schools funding formula would make the situation even more precarious.
“Such large cuts would have to fall on staffing budgets, and my local schools would have to lose teachers and support staff in order to balance their books.
“The support for this campaign across Lambeth and Southwark has been fantastic, and together we will keep the pressure on the government to reverse this damaging decision.
The schools funding formula consultation can be found at https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/consultation/intro/ and closes on 22 March
Information on the level of cuts to schools which would result from the proposals can be found at www.schoolcuts.org.uk