Schools in Cumbria will soon be seeing the impact of an estimated £3bn shortfall in the government’s education budget by 2020.
These are the first real terms cuts to education spending since the 1990s. The picture is extremely bleak, with 98 per cent of schools set to lose funding, at a time when costs are rising and pupil numbers are growing.
The scale of the funding crisis facing schools is so great that many MPs are becoming increasingly aware that schools in their constituencies will suffer unmanageable cuts.
Cumbria is likely to lose an average of £383 per pupil – a total of over £23 million for the county as a whole.
The impact on learning will be significant. Class sizes in primary schools could rise and some GCSE and A Level subjects could be cut from the curriculum entirely as school budgets are pushed beyond breaking point.
The government is currently pushing ahead with a new formula to calculate funding levels for schools in England. Whilst this is welcome, many voices in education believe that the £3bn real terms funding shortfall will derail this process before it even gets started.
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “School budgets are being pushed beyond breaking point. The government’s £3 billion real terms cut to education funding must be reversed or we will see education and care suffer. Already heads are being forced to cut staff, cut the curriculum and cut specialist support. A new funding formula is the right thing to do, but it cannot be truly fair unless there is enough money to go round in the first place.”
NAHT is holding a series of national events to raise awareness amongst school leaders, governors and parents. Meetings are being held in Cumbria on Thursday 9th February, to spread the word in the hope that local pressure will force the government to explain its rationale for cutting the education budget at a time when the school population is rising and costs are going up.
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “The scale of cuts facing schools across Cumbria in the next few years is vast. These cuts are not just numbers in a spreadsheet in Whitehall, they will have a real impact on our children’s futures. These cuts will mean fewer teachers, fewer resources and larger class sizes. The government must stop its ideological obsession with cuts and instead choose to invest in education to give our children the best opportunities in life. I regularly visit local schools and see the excellent work that local teachers do, but this will be at risk if the government does not provide the funding that is needed.”
Sue Hayman, MP for Workington, said: “It is shocking that Cumbria is set to lose more than £23 million in schools funding under the new national funding formula by 2019, a reduction of £383 per pupil in the county. This is a completely unacceptable situation, especially as this could potentially lead to the loss of 625 teachers in Cumbria in order to compensate for the budget cut.
“The government’s cuts to school funding will have a real impact on Cumbrian children being able to achieve their potential. It is essential that proper funding is in place for all schools, so that every pupil can receive an excellent education. Instead, schools now face their first real-terms budget cut in two decades.
“The new formula would see nearly half of English schools losing money in a process that merely moves money around the system rather than providing additional crucial investment in schools. Schools have already had to make cutbacks – in order to make further savings, many will now have to start cutting teaching staff.
“It’s time that we had proper investment in our schools, so that they can replace crumbling buildings and give our children the high-quality education that they deserve.”
Graham Frost, Head Teacher of Robert Ferguson Primary School in Carlisle and NAHT Cumbria Branch Secretary, said: “Some schools are already having to consider reducing staffing due to financial constraints. This funding crisis comes at a time when the system expects schools to do even more for our children and our families as the capacity of Local Authorities is reduced. School leaders are not only under ever-increasing pressure to achieve strong outcomes in SATs tests and exams while maintaining a full and balanced curriculum, they are increasingly being called upon to engage in aspects of social work and mental health work to meet a complex range of additional needs. We are delighted that Tim Farron is tabling an Early Day Motion on this subject and will be attending one of our meetings on 9th February.”
NAHT Cumbria 