Over 70 Cumbrian school leaders call on Philip Hammond to end school funding crisis

Saturday, 14 October 2017

Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury,
1 Horse Guards Road,
London,
SW1A 2HQ

Dear Mr Hammond,

Education is an investment – the greatest investment we can make in our children’s present and future lives.  We have heard many figures quoted over the past few months, from long before the snap election was called, during the election campaign and since.  We applaud the reallocation of £1.3 billion from spending on free schools to the main schools budget, which was an acknowledgement that spending on schools needed to be increased.  However, the latest figures indicate that the financial pressures schools in Cumbria are already experiencing are set to continue, with an estimated total shortfall of £13.3 million by 2020, equivalent to a £226 per pupil loss or the salaries of 272 teachers.

We can already see the effects of the combination of cuts to other local services, resulting in our schools having to pay for services previously funded from other budget streams, and increased payroll related costs such as the increased pensions contributions required of schools.  We can already see the effects of the lack of investment in school building maintenance, the leaking roofs and other long-overdue repairs to buildings presenting health and safety concerns.  We can already see the effects of resources such as computers coming to the end of their useful working lives and not being replaced.  Some schools are already engaging in redundancy processes signalling a reduction in provision for special educational needs and disabilities, or a reduction in the number of subjects they have the capacity to teach.

In Cumbria we are very proud of the high reputation we have for inclusive practice, with the vast majority of special educational needs and disabilities being met within mainstream school settings, unlike many other parts of the country in which these needs are met by a concentration of expertise within a greater number of special schools.  Being “Inclusive Cumbria” means that the expertise to meet these needs is spread across the school system, and predominantly consists of highly trained and skilled teaching assistants.  Between 80% and 90% of a schools’ budget is staffing costs, and Cumbrian schools are reporting that in order to set a balanced budget they are already having to make staff reductions or plan for them within the next few years.  We fear that some of our most vulnerable pupils will be hardest hit by the funding pressures our schools are being forced to tackle.

While we commend the intention to redistribute funding more fairly through the National Funding Formula, we believe it will only succeed if there is sufficient funding within the overall schools budget.  Cumbrian schools serve many rural or isolated communities.  The current shortfall in school funding is causing tensions between our financially challenged large secondary and primary schools, and the small rural schools which are the life-blood of local community life.  Simply considering school viability on a one-size-fits-all calculation does not work in a county with our landscape, and the wider implications of our geography need to be factored in to any future calculations of school funding distribution at a national level.

Many are predicting that a significant proportion of future employment opportunities in Cumbria will come from science and technology based industries such as the nuclear power industry.  The government’s industrial strategy, January 2017 (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/611705/building-our-industrial-strategy-green-paper.pdf)  states the following as a central pillar:

Developing skills – we must help people and businesses to thrive by: ensuring everyone has the basic skills needed in a modern economy; building a new system of technical education to benefit the half of young people who do not go to university; boosting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills, digital skills and numeracy; and by raising skill levels in lagging areas.

An underinvestment in education at this time stands to undermine this worthy objective which is crucial to future employment prospects for a great many of our pupils.

As school leaders, we are already doing all we can to be good stewards of the funding allocated to our schools, but we are now reaching a point which is untenable, and parents are beginning to notice.  We therefore call upon you, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, to ensure that school funding, in real-terms, with all the increased costs factored in, enables our schools to at least maintain the quality of service provision needed to ensure our pupils can become fulfilled, successful and economically secure, both now and in their future working lives.

Sincerely,

Andrea Armstrong, Headteacher, Raughton Head CofE School
Mark Ashton, Headteacher, Warwick Bridge School
Sue Blair, Headteacher, Pennine Way Primary School
Kenneth Boom, Chair of Governors, Pennine Way Primary School
Mick Brookes, Cumbria Branch Treasurer, NAHT
Clair Brown, School Business Manager, St James C of E Infant School
Jonathan Bursnall, Headteacher, Brook Street Primary School
Jan Cameron – Governor, Brook Street School
Sarah Campbell, Headteacher, Settlebeck School
Andrew Cannon, Headteacher, Newlaithes Junior School
Lynn Carini, Headteacher, Holme St Cuthbert School
Toby Clements, Chair of Governors, Stoneraise School
Clem Coady, Cumbria Branch President, NAHT
Maggie Cole, Headteacher, St Thomas’s CE Primary School
Dave Colombi, Headteacher, Thursby Primary SchoolHuw Davies, Headteacher, Ghyllside Primary School
Martin Duke, Chair of Governors, North Lakes School
Suzanne Edmondson, Headteacher, St Patrick’s CofE School
Nick Ellery, Headteacher, Ullswater Community College
Julia Fish, Headteacher, Bridekirk Dovenby School
Samantha Fitzsimons – Governor, Brook Street School
Linda Fletcher, Headteacher, Crosscrake CE Primary School
Graham Frost, Cumbria Branch Secretary, NAHT
Sue Frost, Headteacher, Ashfield Junior School
Brenda Fyrth, Headteacher, Thomlinson Junior School
Johanna Goode, Headteacher, Grasmere CE VA Primary School
Judith Gore, Headteacher, St Martin and St Mary’s CofE Primary School
Alister Green, Chair of Governors, Ivegill CE Primary School
Georgina Harland, Headteacher, Bewcastle Primary School
Geraldine Haughan, Head of Administration & Governor, Brook Street School
Lisa Hemingway, Headteacher, St Bridget’s CE Primary School
Peter Hicks, Headteacher, Heron Hill Primary School
Matthew Jessop, Assistant Headteacher, Low Furness CofE Primary School
Alan Johnston, Chair of Governors, Robert Ferguson Primary School
Gareth Jones, Headteacher, Cummersdale School
Chris Kania, Senior Office Administrator, Pennine Way Primary School
Catherine Mallard, Headteacher, St Begh’s Catholic Junior School
Nancy McKinnell, Headteacher, South Walney Infant and Nursery School
Louise McMillan, Headteacher, St Bede’s RC Primary School
Kath Mitchell, Headteacher, Cumwhinton Primary School
Angela Nellis, Office Manager, North Lakes School
Gary Newman, Headteacher, Skelton School
Fiona Newton, Headteacher, Askam Village School
Geoff Norman, Headteacher, Wigton Infant School
Mike Pincombe, Headteacher, North Lakes School
Emma Pomfret, Headteacher, Orton CE Primary School
Duncan Priestley, Headteacher, Crosby Ravensworth CE Primary School
Teresa Readman, Headteacher, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
David Reddy, Headteacher, George Romney Junior School
Claire Render, Headteacher, Wreay C of E Primary School
Helen Richardson, Headteacher, Castle Park School
Chris Rollings, Deputy Head, North Lakes School
Sharon Sanderson, Headteacher, Brunswick Infant School
Sonia Southern, Headteacher, Burgh by Sands School
Daryl Spencer, Headteacher, Fir Ends School
Rebecca Stacey, Headteacher, Castle Carrock School
Sue Stainton, Headteacher, Ivegill CE Primary School
Cathy Styles, Headteacher, Croftlands Junior School
Phillipa Summers, Headteacher, Grange CofE Primary School
Sarah Tansey, Headteacher, Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School
Margaret Taylor, Headteacher, High Hesket Primary School
Matthew Towe, Headteacher, Sedbergh Primary School
Lynne Wade, Headteacher, Kirkby Stephen Primary School
David Warbrick, Headteacher, Beckstone Primary School
Dawn Watson, Headteacher, Eaglesfield Paddle CE Primary School
Helen Webber, Headteacher, Black Combe Junior School
Ruth Webster, Headteacher, St Paul’s CE Junior School
Ayesha Weston, Headteacher, Crosby-on-Eden CofE School
Patricia Williams, Chair of Governors, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
Kirsty Williamson Headteacher, Great Corby School
Deborah Wilson, Headteacher, Millom Infant School
Lesley Winter, Headteacher, Gilsland C E Primary School

c.c. Tim Farron MP, Trudy Harrison MP, Sue Hayman MP, John Stevenson MP, Rory Stewart MP, John Woodcock MP.