Head slams ‘cruel cuts’ as infants lose out on panto
A Bath school had to cancel its panto plans because it could not justify the cost when having to cut support services for vulnerable children. Twerton Infant School and Nursery headteacher George Samios revealed the decision he had taken while condemning austerity as a “cruel choice” and saying the Government needs the courage to tackle school funding issues head on at a public meeting. The meeting, which took place at Saltford Hall on Wednesday, June 27 and was organised by Labour Party members, heard while there is more money in the school system overall, there are also more pupils than ever before. Mr Samios said: “We work hard to meet the needs of individual children, but this requires adequate funding. A large proportion of schools are spending more than their income. “Our school has needed to withdraw the one-to-one counselling we were providing for six pupils a week - those who had experienced adversity and trauma. “We aren’t able to update our computers and last week we had to cancel the visit of a theatre group for a panto. “It wasn’t a significant amount of money but this year we’re facing a deficit. I can’t justify £400 when I have staff I need to preserve. “If austerity continues, I’m feeling increasingly that it’s a choice that is cruel. There are alternative ways to meet the funding shortfall. It needs courage to face it head on.” Andrew Bailey, a national campaigner from the School Cuts website, said the overall funding figure had increased but per pupil funding had not kept pace with growing costs - including salaries, pensions, and the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. This had combined with a “baby boom” between 2000 and 2012, with 475,000 more pupils entering secondary school than just three years ago. Kevin Burnett, who retired in 2017 after 20 years as a teacher and is now the local secretary of the head teachers’ union, said: “Schools are the centre of the community. They drive society’s priorities and establish paths of living for the future. They engage with families every day. “I began my 20 years as a teacher just in time for ‘education, education, education.’ Political choices are now being made in a different way.” He said austerity shrank school budgets and resulted in “squeezed” support and the need to prioritise support to only the most vulnerable children. Mr Burnett added: “Teachers are leaving - the people who love it the most but can’t take it any more. They are becoming as expendable as racing car tyres.” He questioned why the Government is spending so much on academies, claiming schools can access grants of £20,000 just to change their names. “I’ve asked what difference academisation makes,” he added. “There’s no evidence it makes any difference at all. That’s scandalous and shocking. They are privatising education by the back door.” Organiser Joan Liley said cuts are hitting social mobility for the most vulnerable children, and as a result the economy was losing out. Teacher Paula Black said: “I teach the most beautiful, incredible children. They have probably experienced more abuse, fear and austerity than anyone else you will come across. Since 2010, £50 million has been cut from the mental health budget. That’s devastating to the children I teach.” She said cuts to parenting courses, pregnancy services and addiction support were having a cumulative effect. Responding to the comments, North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-mogg said after the meeting: “The Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed that overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years. “In addition, the new national funding formula will increase funding for Bath and North East Somerset schools, which have been historically underfunded compared with areas such as Bristol. This is good news for local children and their parents which begins to right an historic unfairness. “Academy reforms have proved successful in many schools, with over 450,000 pupils currently studying in sponsored academies. Many of these schools were underperforming before academisation and are now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding.’”