VIVIENNE NICOLL

INSIDE THE CITY CHAMBERS

THE situation facing Glasgow schools could be grim if the city’s education bosses are to be believed. In recent years, the city council has been forced to deal with annual spending cuts but has so far managed to avoid axing front line services.

However, over the next two years it will somehow have to find ways to slash a further £133 million from its budget and last week senior education figures travelled to Edinburgh to warn MSPs of the potential consequences of this. Because they have to maintain teacher numbers under the deal with the Scottish Government, councillors and officials will have to look at other areas of the education budget for cuts.

In the past, officials have been bullish insisting they can find the money as a result of backroom savings and efficiencies.

This time, they are openly warning the cuts could impact on the city’s school pupils.

Assistant education director Ian Robertson told Holyrood: “The low hanging fruit is gone, you are now cutting into core services.”

He warned that preventative spending on projects like nurture classes could be at risk in the battle to save money.

And education spokesman Malcolm Cunning told MSPs areas like music, art provision and additional support for learning could also be potentially at risk.

Mr Cunning said there is also a possibility there will be fewer support staff in schools and there is unlikely to be the money to recruit 50 more teachers for the next school year.

For years, pupil numbers in the city were in decline but recently numbers have been on the increase with parents opting to send their children to the city’s newly refurbished schools instead of having them educated in neighbouring authorities.

While that has to be good news, it poses a problem for education bosses who have to employ additional teachers and don’t have the money to do it.

Parents will understandably be up in arms if the services their youngsters rely on have to be cut.

But while councillors have their faults, they are passionate about doing the best they possibly can for the city’s young people.

They will take no pleasure in wielding the axe in any area of education but this year something will almost certainly have to give.

And if education bosses are already warning of the consequences we can assume the cuts will mean pain for parents, pupils and teachers.