Parents Organise Rallies Following Public Meetings

Graham Frost, Cumbria Branch Secretary

The Penrith Crowd

Nigel Pattinson, Headteacher

Parents and Children march into Penrith

Parents’ Groups Organise Rallies

Following the NAHT-led public meeting in Penrith, a group of parents were motivated to set up a campaign group – Fair Funding for Cumbrian Schools and organised a rally, which took place at the Cornmarket, Penrith on Saturday 6th May.   See coverage by News and Star, Cumberland and Westmorland Herald, and ITV Border.  Parents in Carlisle who had attended our Carlisle public meeting held a second rally on Sunday 21st May, in Carlisle.  See coverage by ITV Border and News and Star.

NAHT Cumbria’s Clem Coady speaks at parent-led rally – Carlisle City Centre – 21st May 2017

Parents Express Shock at the Funding Crisis

Over 250 members of the public, including parents, grandparents, school staff and governors and union representatives, have attended our three public meetings about the School Funding Crisis:

Tuesday 25th April – 6:45pm – Caldew School, Dalston, nr Carlisle.
Wednesday 26th April – 6:00pm – Ullswater Community College, Penrith.
Thursday 4th May – 6:30pm – West Lakes Academy, Egremont.

Local MPs were also invited, but did not attend.

Rob Kelsall, Senior Regional Officer (NAHT) presented the facts and figures, spelling out that the crisis results from a combination of factors.  Citing figures from the National Audit Office (NAO), and Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Rob explained that the benefits to Cumbria of the redistribution of funds through the National Funding Formula, something which NAHT have been calling for for many years, are effectively wiped out by two other factors:

1. £3 billion in cuts to overall spending on schools, as reported by the NAO.
2. An estimated 8% increase in costs to schools (NAO).

In more detail, the cause of the problem is:

• Increases in the cost of employer’s contributions to national insurance and pensions of over 5.5%.

• The abolition of the Education Services Grant to local authorities and academies reduces funding for schools by £600 million.
• The cost of annual pay awards for teaching and support staff is set to increase by 4.4% by 2020.

• The Apprenticeship Levy came into effect in April 2017.

• The National Audit Office estimates that these additional cost pressures adds up to an 8% increase in the cost of running the average school.

Funding from government is remaining static over the same period, resulting in a real terms cut.

Cumbria NAHT branch secretary,  Graham Frost explained that Cumbria’s schools are already feeling the increased financial pressure, with some already having to cut staff and curriculum breadth.  See How Real Term Funding Cuts are Affecting Cumbria’s Schools.  At the Penrith meeting, he gave a personal response as a parent whose children attend Ullswater Community College (UCC), where the meeting was held:

“My older daughters have received a truly excellent education at UCC, with an impressive range of subjects to choose from, including vocational courses.  I despair at the thought that my youngest daughter will not have the same opportunities due to no fault of the school, but due to a combination of drastic cuts and cost pressures.”

Ullswater Community College headteacher, Nigel Pattinson, gave a passionate speech outlining how the school’s budget has changed in recent years, which has gone from £8.05m in 2009, when he joined Ullswater, to £6.89m.  He described the terrible choices schools face, including the scrapping of whole subjects, axing jobs and bigger class sizes, saying:

“As a headteacher I can find efficiency savings. I have done that.”

Parents who attended expressed shock at the implications of the combined costs and cuts which are giving rise to a national crisis.  While Cumbria ought to be beneficiaries of the redistribution of funds through the proposed National Funding Formula, any benefits are cancelled out by the additional costs and cuts.

See the video and read Clem Coady’s explanation of the crisis.