Labour sounds alarm over education cash crisis SCHOOLS FACE CUT OF £2.5BN
THE funding crisis engulfing England’s schools is laid bare by new research showing more than £2.5billion will be lost in Tory cuts by 2020.
Data released by the Labour Party reveals budgets being slashed right across the country. The worst hit region is the North-west, which has some of Britain’s most deprived areas.
Shadow Education Minister Angela Rayner said: “School budgets are falling, class sizes are soaring, teachers are leaving in droves and the Tories are breaking their promise to increase funding for every pupil.
“Across the country head teachers are in despair.
“The Government is in denial. nial. But they can’t run away from thehe facts and ministers have to act ct now if education isn’t going too plunge further into crisis.
“Our children deserve the best possible education to fulfil their potential.”
Using the Government’s ownn figures, the stats show that in the North-west more than £415million million will have been cut from school ol budgets between 2015 and 2020.
That is equivalent to 2,134 teachers or 20,763,914 textbooks.
Labour’s research also reveals that every secondary school in England is facing a budget cut except the few remaining grammar schools.
The Autumn Statement included a £200million funding boost for the 163 grammar s schools in England, amounting to £ 1.47million per school. E Eighty percent of those gramma mars are in Tory-held parliamentary seats seats. Mrs Rayner added: “This is yet more damning evidence that the Government is only looking out for a privileged few. The many are being left behind. Our schools are reaching breaking point but they’re just giving handouts to a handful.” Under changes announced at the end of last year, more than 9,000 schools in England were set to lose money. The Tories intended that 11,000 schools would get more but union leaders warned that they will suffer real-term cuts over the next three years.
Karen Leonard, GMB National Officer for School Support Staff, said: “This new analysis brings home the looming catastrophe.
“The terrible cuts mean fewer textbooks and teachers and the devastation of school support staff. Education minister Justine Greening must get a grip on this before our children’s futures are ruined.”