MP: Education in city facing perfect storm
A Sunderland MP said the region is seeing ‘complete mismanagement’ of the education system.
MP for Washington and Sunderland West, Sharon Hodgson, managed to secure a debate in the House of Commons yesterday about the funding crisis facing the region’s schools.
Mrs Hodgson called on ministers to explain why the North East is facing massive funding problems.
The Government has frozen the funding that schools receive per pupil – which means the money is actually cut in real terms, after inflation is taken into account.
Ministers claim that total school funding is increasing, but schools are saying they face a series of cost increases they cannot control.
TheNAHT,NationalAssociation of Headteachers, says schoolsacrosstheNorthEast face a shortfall of £119million, with Sunderland set to lose £14million.
Mrs Hodgson said she had met with more than 30 Wearside headteachers, who all expressed concerns at the gravity of the situation.
She said: “We might easily come to the conclusion that what we are seeing is the complete mismanagement and neglect of our education system—a perfect storm, if you like.
“This sorry state of affairs that our schools find themselves in is nothing to do with efficiencies; it is all about impoverishing our schools.
“Shamefully, this approach will hit children living in the poorest areas the most, such as in parts of my constituency and those of my fellow North East MPs from across the House.
“We all have deprived communities in our constituencies.
“That means that more and more children will be held back in life, when we should be supporting them to achieve social mobility and to achieve their full potential.”
Coun Robert Oliver, a member of the Conservative party in Sunderland, said: “The national formula for school funding is a proposal which is open for debate and aims to provide equal fundingforallschoolsinthecountry.
“Totalkabout‘cuts’ismisleadingasschoolfundingisat its highest level on record.”