Shropshire headteachers' cash plea ‘fell on deaf ears’

A delegation from the North Shropshire Head Teacher Forum met the Minister of State for School Standards, Nick Gibb, to press for more cash for education.

They told him many secondary schools were in crisis.

But today Sue Lovecy from St Martins School, said while the minister seems to take on board their other concerns about the new GCSE exams and league tables, there did not seem to be the same understanding of the financial problems.

She and the head of the Grove School, Market Drayton, the Corbett at Baschurch and Lakelands Academy, Ellesmere, spent an hour explaining to Mr Gibb the financial worries and the burdens being placed on heads and other staff because of cutbacks in other areas such as social services and health services.

The meeting was organised by north Shropshire MP, Owen Paterson.

Ms Lovecy sad: "We had hoped that the National Funding Formula would help Shropshire, which has always traditionally been a low funded county.

"But while some schools have benefitted it is not the case for smaller, secondary school. We had an increase of about £17- £18,000 but that was cancelled out by having to fund a pay and pension rise. It has led to an eight per cent cut in the school budget this year.

"Cuts in staffing, the largest part of our budget, have been going on for several years and we are now at crisis point."

Harrowing

Ms Lovecy said staff were also having to step in and deal with areas that had in the past been provided by the local education authority, from careers advice to social services and issues that police would have dealt with.

"All these areas have their own funding problems. We told the minister some harrowing stories of issues involving our pupils that we have had to deal with, many of them mental health issues. We can not walk away from the problems but they take up time and funding that should be going on education."

She said that the minister had told the delegation that the government was finding extra money for the health service.

"But this is coming too late for schools - we are at crisis point now," she said.

The delegation also discussed the teacher recruitment crisis.

"Despite the recent increase, teachers' pay is still not in line with other professions," Ms Lovecy said.

Limiting the school curriculum and performance measures were also discussed and she said: "We felt we were listened too when it came to exams and the curriculum and that Mr Gibb was willing to talk to us further about those points.

"But I don't think our plea for more funding will be heard."

"They need to understand that our pupils, our students are the future of this country and education has to be properly funded."

"Instead funding has hit a brick wall."

The heads forum includes schools and colleges from Oswestry, Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem, Whitchurch and Baschurch.