Birmingham head teachers are today calling on the Government to abandon its plans to cut millions from school budgets.
Head teachers from 66 Birmingham schools have written to Prime Minister Theresa May warning the looming “fairer funding” formula cuts would decimate their schools.
They say teachers, teaching assistants and staff will be laid off, extra curricular activities cut back, textbooks and equipment will not be updated or replaced and crucial support services rolled back if proposed cuts of more than £20 milllion a year to city school budgets go ahead.
Under “fairer funding”, money is being moved from schools in big cities to shire counties - neighbouring Solihull schools could gain £4.5 million a year between them.
The head teachers, with the backing of their union the NAHT, have written to the Prime Minister demanding a rethink, saying that education funding was a major election issue and a factor in the Conservatives losing their majority in Parliament.
Last month, the Selly Oak Trust School announced it will reduce its school day by 30 minutes from September to save money.
The letter says: “The Government has cut school funding in Britain by £2.8 billion since 2015. In Birmingham, head teachers are already warning of the impossible job they have to balance the books and offer the best education for all children. Schools here serve children from some of the most deprived communities in the country and are crucial to social mobility.
“Yet there is worse to come. Schools face a funding shortfall of £3 billion a year between now and 2020. Schools across Birmingham have warned that they are going to have to make teachers and teaching assistants redundant, cut back on the curriculum and won’t be able to afford teaching resources like textbooks or crucial support staff for pupil and parent wellbeing.”
The head teachers say that the election shows funding cuts are unpopular and that the Government no longer has a mandate to continue. They urge the Prime Minister to listen to the voters.
“In the first instance, we urge you to immediately reverse cuts to school budgets in Birmingham. The futures of children here depend on it,” they conclude.
Among those head teachers is Michelle Gay of Osborne Primary in Erdington which is facing a funding cut of £816 per pupil. About 40 per cent of pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds. There are also 27 different first languages spoken, meaning some children start school already needing catch up. Against this background results have been improving and more and more children are achieving their expected levels thanks to the help of various full and part time specialist staff.
Ms Gay said that they are considering closing on Friday afternoons to make savings, as well as working with other schools, such on bulk supply orders to cut costs – but even then will have to cut back.
“These cuts will be to the detriment of our children, who are among the most disadvantaged. All the progress we have made will be undone,” she said.
The teachers are being backed by Erdington Labour MP Jack Dromey who said: “Young people, rich in talent, who deserve the best possible start in life will have their education harmed by cuts that will see teaching assistants and teachers made redundant.
“During the election people in Birmingham made clear that they do not support school cuts that put the life chances of the next generation at risk. Young Brummies deserve better.
“Our city did not give Theresa May a mandate to push on with cuts to school budgets. The Prime Minister must listen to the voice of Birmingham’s teachers and parents and abandon deeply damaging cuts to education.”
A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister told the Birmingham Mail that they are ploughing £5.8 billion more into education to increase school places by 2020.
On fairer funding she said: "We believe that the current arrangements are unfair and we remain committed to changing them.
"The way funding is distributed to schools in England is not fair. Across the country, schools teaching children with the same needs gets markedly different amounts of money for no good reason. The data that we use is over a decade out of date."
While in Birmingham on the election campaign trail last month Prime Minister Theresa May told the Mail that the pleas of head teachers would be listened to as part of the consultation on the new funding formula.
She said: "We will look at those responses and, in due course, decide where to go on this. But the aim is to produce a fairer system of funding across schools.”
To find out how your local school is affected visit the www.schoolcuts.org.uk website set up by the teaching unions, based on Department for Education data.
WHO SIGNED THE LETTER?
Michelle Gay – Osborne Primary
Jon Smart – Brookvale Primary Academy
Vicky Nussey – Paget Primary
Julie Anne Tallon – The Abbey RC Primary
Helen Hastilow – Slade Primary Academy
Sally Lees – Castle Vale Nursery
Sheree Watkins – Queensbury Secondary Special
Elaine Dupree – Featherstone Nursery and Children’s Centre
David Hird - St Gerard RC Primary
Jo Jones – Storywood Primary
Ian Lowe – CEP Academy
Emma Pierce – The Pines Primary Special
Marlene Douglas – Marsh Hill Primary
Michael Aldred - St Margaret & St Mary RC Primary
Phillip Lloyd – North Birmingham Academy Secondary
Paul Smith – Yenton Primary
Neil porter – St Peter & St Paul RC Primary
Anna Stevenson – Birches Green Infants
Lucy Riley – Gunter Primary
Helen Slack – Twickenham Primary
Mark Rhatigan – Erdington Academy Secondary
Sharon Eeles – Osborne Nursery and Children’s Centre
Richard Simcox – Erdington Hall Primary Academy
Edris Gaibee – Featherstone Primary
David Shakeshaft – Pegasus Primary
Michelle Lee – Oasis Academy Short Heath Primary
Steve Hughes – Wilson Stuart Special School
Jo Loach - Kingsthorne Primary
Mary McManus – Birches Green Juniors
Madeline Bromley – Court Farm Primary
Azita Zohhadi – Nelson Mandela Primary
Laura Brodie – Allens Croft Nursery School and Children’s Centre
Sue Rose – Ward End Primary
Jackie White – Adderley Children’s Centre
James Allan – Chandos Primary
Debbie Westwood – Christ Church C of E Primary
Beth O’Neill – Goodway Nursery
Clare van Vliet – Our Lady of Fatima RC Primary
Paula Weaver – Allens Croft Primary
Vanessa frank – Gracelands Nursery
Valerie Daniel – Washwood Heath Nursery School
Maria Winters – Ambrose Barlow RC Primary
Christine Mitchell – Clifton Primary
Donna O Toole – Wylde Green Primary
Richard Green – Coppice Primary
Pat O’Leary – St Bernard’s RC Primary
Gerry O’Hara – St Joseph RC Primary Academy
John Kenney – St Dunstan RC Primary
Helen Murphy – Walmley Infant and Nursery
Janet Collins – Springfield and Lindsworth Special
Evelyn Murphy – St Peter’s CE Primary
Kalsom Khan - Park Hill Primary
Fiona Wallace – City of Birmingham
Dominic Davies – Oaklands Primary
Jackie Stephenson – Mapledene Primary
Ben Turner - Yardley Wood Primary
Louise Jones - Lakey Lane Primary
Elizabeth Gallagher – Elms Farm Primary
Mandy Cryan – Lillian de Llisa Nursery
Julie Fardell – Cherry Oak School and Victoria Special
Robin Grover – Princethorpe Junior
Nigel Attwood – Bellfield Junior
James Hill – The Oaks Primary
Helen Setchell – Green Meadow Primary School
Karen Horne – Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy
Anna Murphy –St John Fisher Catholic Primary
