IFS warning over school spending

IFS warning over school spending

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated that the equivalent of an extra penny on the basic rate of income tax is needed to protect schools in England from real-term cuts in spending. The think-tank says maintaining funding at current levels would mean raising spending by £3.7bn over the next four years. Headteachers across the south and east of England say more than 3,400 posts have already had to be closed at more than 700 schools, including more than 1,000 teachers. Some 43% of the heads at these schools feel their budgets are “inadequate” and 49% defined their financial position as being at "crisis point". Just 8% thought funding levels were adequate or good.

BBC News

SCHOOLS SET TO LOSE OUT

KIRKLEES SCHOOLS SET TO LOSE OUT

You may have seen the newspaper headlines that indicated that only three schools in Kirklees gain from the governments (and by association Jason's) "fairer funding formula".

The schools set to gain if the changes survive pressure from MPs are Marsden I & N (£6,462), Lindley CE Infant (£7,728) and Kirkburton Middle, the winner, with an increase of £11,978.

All other Kirklees schools miss out and will have funding cut with the biggest losers being secondary schools, Holmfirth High losing £177,099.

This is on top of the £5.5m cut that the Education Department has made to the Education Support Grant that Kirklees got to support schools. This was an abolition in total of the grant, not a cut. This is also at the same time as the government plan to spend millions on divisive "selective" schools and even more divisive "faith" schools. They intent to continue building schools where there is no lack of capacity, not only wasting money (look to the embezzlement in Bradford) on the buildings, but taking funding away from existing schools.

 

SCHOOL PLACES

SCHOOL PLACES

One of the few duties that Local Authorities still has in relation to schools is to ensure that there are adequate places for the school age population.

That is why they are given a role in determining the number of places at each school. The way that all school funding now works is that schools receive their funding based on the number of pupils they attract. So if one school increases the number of pupils it has then another school looses pupils and  money. This could make a school struggle and close. All the more likely given the cuts that are on the way.

That is why a Local Authority would try to avoid creating more school places where there is no shortage of places as to do so would damage the funding of an adjacent school. The Government who do not have the duty to ensure there are adequate places are quite happy to promote their dogma by creating extra places by parachuting in "Free Schools".

Kirklees had to make a decision on an application by a school to create more places. The logic of creating more places was probably the right decision for the school and parents involved, who do not have any duty to look beyond their own school. But the Cabinet received advice that the extra places created could put other schools at risk and so refused the application. The school have a right to appeal the decision, and might well win the appeal on the basis of their argument for their own school.

The parents, and others, involved in the campaign complained that the decision was being made on financial grounds, in a way they were right but what is also true, as in most things money can not be ignored. Schools are financed and the consequences of the way the schools are financed as an effect on other schools.  Even education cannot call on an unlimited funds.

Parental choice has been supported by all political parties in government, but parties in government do not have to suffer from the consequences of not being able to plan to meet the needs of all children by ensuring there are adequate school places. It might by alright to leave the price of fish to the variances of the market, but the planning of school places requires a bit more thought, and the consequences of children and families in loosing local schools is a price too high to leave school places to market whims. Schools can not be opened instantly, and they definably can't be opened if the government will not pay.

None of this can be used to criticize the parents who want the best for their children in fighting for what they believe is the best.