How funding cuts is piling the pressure on Colne Valley teachers

Funding cuts are forcing around two thirds of schools in the Colne Valley to give staff extra work to do.

And it means a third of the schools have had to change their curriculum.

Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker heard about the challenges during her first Education Conference for headteachers from across the constituency.

Bringing together 26 headteachers representing 60% of all primary and secondary schools in the constituency Mrs Walker provided the opportunity to speak openly about the issues affecting their schools.

A former headteacher herself, she also sits on the Education Select Committee, currently focusing on funding cuts and Special Educational Needs in two separate enquiries.

Prior to the conference, a survey was carried out by Mrs Walker on schools funding in the constituency. That survey found that over 35% of schools had to change their curriculums due to funding cuts, and 65% of schools have had to add additional duties to staff, with one respondent commenting: “We have not been able to replace staff when they leave; teaching assistants and other staff have had to assume their duties”.

Headteachers during the conference raised concerns amongst other things over the real-terms annual cuts of 1.5% to budgets and the lack of support for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Mrs Walker said: “The day has given me the opportunity to hear about the issues that are affecting our schools and, in turn, our children’s education. I will be using the issues raised by local headteachers to support the work that I am doing on the Education Committee and will feed back some of the points raised to the Shadow Education Team.

“It is vital that professionals’ voices working on the frontlines are heard, whether those professionals are working in education, the NHS or business. We cannot develop policy, nor allow the Government to push through legislation that will detrimentally impact on people without listening to them and considering their points. My job is to make sure that those headteachers’ voices are heard loud and clear in Parliament.”