This week headteachers descended on Downing St, politicians continue to raise questions in parliament and we parents are once again taking to the streets. We all are sending the same message: Our schools are in crisis due to chronic underfunding. The chancellor needs to take steps to address the crisis – Save Our Schools – Fund Our Future.
We will join Steve Coogan to take our message to the streets of London! Follow our action on twitter at @saveschoolsuk
When challenged about school funding at Parliamentary Questions this week, Teresa May continued to deny that there was a crisis in education, instead wheeling out the same old line about record levels of funding. Our catalogue of the cuts [LINK] exposes the truth behind that rhetoric. It tells a sobering story of staff cuts; building work cancelled; arts, music, sport and mental health provision slashed.
As Jeremy Corbyn pointed out in Parliament, 5000 teachers from 25 counties [https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/12/headteachers-philip-hammond-schools-national-funding-formula-tories] wrote to the chancellor this week in a hand- delivered letter asking for the money that is being taken out of the system to be returned. They warned of cuts to resources, soaring class sizes and narrowing of the curriculum.
We know that the much cited “additional funding” of 1.3 billion which was found from within the education budget does not address the funding crisis. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reported that all this additional funding does is to reduce the real terms cut from 6.5% to 4.6% between 2015 and 2019.
Teresa May claimed in parliament that she is building a Britain fit for the future – but with schools crumbling, teachers leaving, headteachers marching on downing street and education in crisis, we wonder whose future? By taking money from our childrens’ education they are stealing futures, not building them.
Our country faces an uncertain future, our children will shape whether we grasp that future or are overwhelmed by it: will we continue to play a major role on the world stage through our innovation, our entrepreneurialism, our industry and our creativity whether in science, technology, music, arts – or are we doomed to stagnation? The future generation will determine this. Now is not the time to be making cuts to their education. Come on Phillip Hammond: Fund their future, fund our future.