School funding has been neglected for too long, Now is the time to restore funding to our schools and colleges, Get a FREE SchoolCuts banner!
From recruitment and retention to Ofsted, league tables and marketisation, those of us working in education are all aware of the conditions leading to a narrowing of the curriculum and the growing crisis in student mental health.
The Government’s recent promise of £14billion in funding might sound impressive but this will not return us to 2010 spending levels.
In reality 83% of education establishments will still be facing real terms cuts under the new funding proposals.
I have always held to the statement that “A well-informed populace can be trusted to make the right decisions, the question is, how well informed are the public? The SchoolCuts website isn’t about telling people how to vote, it’s about ensuring that votes are cast based on accurate information, and as educators, it’s our responsibility to educate.
The NEU and other unions responsible for the School Cuts website have for the past few years offered to provide schools with (FREE) banners detailing the funding data for their specific school and areas.
This is Not Political
There is nothing political about stating the facts. This is the time for parliamentary candidates of all parties to state their promises on education funding, if we dont stand now we run the risk that budgets will continue to be squeezed. Every party has flaws in their policies, but it isn’t too late for them to reconsider and improve their offer to education due to public awareness and pressure.
I believe that regardless of your political leanings a School Cuts banner outside every school and college is to the benefit of education because it creates a space for discussion that could easily otherwise be drowned out in the noise of a general election. If we don’t make our voices heard now, then we could be facing a five-year wait before we have another opportunity to shape the debate.
Now is the time to restore funding to our schools and colleges
Headteachers and Governors
If you are a Head Teacher or Governor and would like a School Cuts banner, then there are several ways to proceed.
Alternatively,
- Inform your school union representative (NEU, NAHT, ASCL, UNISON, GMB & UNITE)
- Contact your local union District Secretary, the full list of NEU Secretaries is available at https://neu.org.uk/listings/district-contacts
- Or failing that email myself and I will pass your request onto the relevant person bales@neu.org.uk
Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Parents and Everyone Who Cares About Education
- Send this blog to your leadership team and raise awareness about the FREE resources available.
- Download the logos here, print and share them widely.
- Share a picture of your logo on Twitter with the hashtags #SchoolCuts #VoteEducation. You’ll be seeing mine stuck to my planner later
- Share the youtube link below.
5. https://schoolcuts.org.uk/action/candidates-pledge/ follow this link and email your candidates.
The time is now.
About the Author
This is not an official message from the NEU. Karam Bales is a member of the NEU’s National Executive Committee, Chair of the New Professional and Young Workers National Council, and Youth Liaison Officer for UNIFY: Campaign for a Single Education Union. He works full time in a compressive secondary academy. (edited by Pran Patel)