Teachers at risk
Schools in Scarborough and Filey could lose up to 135 teachers in budget cuts, according to a new report.
Schools in Scarborough are facing millions of pounds being slashed from their budgets with up to 135 teachers facing the axe, according to a new report.
The proposed new national funding formula, being introduced from 2018 to 2019, announced by Education Secretary Justine Greening in December is expected to mean 10,000 schools will gain funds in order to close the gap between different geographical areas.
But teachers’ unions’ analysis, based on information for 19,719 schools published as part of the national funding formula consultation, indicates 98% of schools will face cuts in per pupil funding - with schools in North Yorkshire facing an average reduction of £379 per pupil.
An alarming £4.8million may be cut from budgets of Scarborough and Filey schools, with headteachers expressing their concerns at how they can improve with declining funds.
According to the figures, Gladstone Road Primary School will be the worst affected primary school in Scarborough, losing £508,031 of its budget by 2019/20.
Keith Wright, headteacher of 800-pupil school said: “If we lose funding then we are not going to be able to teach as we do now. It is a huge amount of money. All we want is a fair deal for our children.
“We fear we may not be able to provide the same level of support for children with special education needs.
“There is a greater expectation to do better, but how can we do that with less funding? We currently have 36 teaching staff and to scale that back is certainly going to have a detrimental impact on the education we provide and on the children.”
The Education Policy Institute claims the average secondary school will lose almost £300,000 each, while primary schools could lose out on more than £70,000.
Graham School could face losing £618,457 of its budget and a total of 17 teaching staff - Scarborough’s most daunting figures.
The Woodlands Drive school did not respond to requests to comment on the figures.
Other secondary schools across the area could take a big hit in teaching numbers with St Augustine’s and Lady Lumley’s facing the loss of eight staff while Malton School and Ryedale School are at risk of nine departures each.
Teachers, governors, parents and councillors gathered for a public meeting to discuss the impact of the national funding formula at Scarborough Library on Thursday last week.
Parents have been lobbying MPs, writing to ministers and responding to the Department of Education’s consultation, which closed yesterday.
MPs from all parties have challenged ministers, prompting reports the Government could delay or even withdraw its plan.
MP Robert Goodwill had a meeting on Friday with around 20 borough primary school headteachers to discuss how the changes will affect each school.
Mr Goodwill said: “We had a meeting where headteachers raised their concerns about education funding.
“I have written to Justine Greening and I am sure she will be interested to hear what the Scarborough public say about education.
“One concern was regarding schools in Scarborough feeling they cannot support children with special education needs if budgets were to cut. This would impact on their education as well as others in the class.
“The feeling is that the cuts will affect the larger primary schools in the borough. These concerns are shared throughout the country. The Government still has a big deficit to address despite reducing it considerably.”
Scarborough primary schools are facing a shortfall
in their budgets for 2019/20 including Braeburn Primary and Nursery (£301,742), Friarage Community Primary School (£252,201) and Northstead Community Primary School (£276,564).
This news comes after Scarborough was included as an “opportunity area” in the Government’s £60million programme to target areas where youngsters are failing to achieve their potential.
The scheme announced in October last year, which would also be trialled in Blackpool, Derby, Norwich, Oldham and West Somerset, was said to help improve social mobility in some of England’s most disadvantaged regions.
Chis Knowles, headteacher at Newby and Scalby Primary School, is an executive member for the NAHT. He said: “We have to focus on the impact these cuts will have on learners. They get one chance and we need all in our community to recognise the effect of the cuts.
“It is iniquitous that an already low funded county should suffer even further cuts through the new funding formula.”
The NUT says the government claim they will protect school budgets but what this means is a freeze on funding at present levels while cost pressures go up due to rises in inflation, the apprenticeship levy, introduction of the National Living wage, increased employer national insurance and pension contributions. None of which are funded so schools across England need to find a total of £3billion in savings.
Anne Swift, president of the NUT, said: “The government should stop funding free schools and the proposed expansion of grammar schools and instead put the money into early years for the benefit of all children not a few.”