The Best Guide for the Neston Area

Neston Area Headteachers Unite to Fight Proposed Funding Changes

Headteachers from schools in the ‘Neston Education Partnership' met recently to discuss the impact of the proposed cuts to school budgets under the New Funding Formula (NFF).

Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston and Councillor Nicole Meardon (Cheshire West and Chester Council Cabinet Member for Children & Families) also joined the discussions.

(l-r): Julie Chambers (Willaston Primary); Steve Dool (Neston High); Justin Madders MP; Andrew Hutchings (Parkgate Primary); Nicole Meardon (CWaC); Dawn Ormes (St Winefride's); Ann Griffiths (Sutton Green); Helen Hough (Woodfall); Darren Jones (Bishop Wilson) and Rob Golding (Neston Primary).

All present at the meeting felt it was vital to challenge the proposed changes, in order to protect the quality and standards of education delivered in all of the nine schools in the partnership. It is estimated that the reduction in budgets across the nine schools will total £1.4 million over the next three years. 

A NEP spokesperson said: "Our aim is to encourage the Government to reconsider the way in which they propose to distribute the money in the ‘pot'. It is high unlikely that the Government will add additional funds to the schools budget, so we must ensure that all schools in our area are provided with the money they need.

"Without the funds we will see a reduction in the number of teachers and teaching assistants, class sizes will rise, the curriculum will become narrower and there will not be enough money to fund specialist art lessons, music lessons, forest school sessions and outreach support.

"If these proposals go ahead, it will not be just the ‘extras' that will need to be cut, it will be the key things we do. These drastic cuts will have a devastating impact on the education we are able to deliver."

Justin Madders MP said: ""These cuts will strike at the heart of our local schools and will have a profound impact on the education that our children receive."

It was estimated that, if schools were allowed to ask parents to help ‘close this gap' in schools funding, each school would have to ask for £157 from every parent, for every child, every year.

Have your say

A letter, written by all of the members of the Neston Education Partnership, has been sent to all parents and carers asking them to take action by signing a petition and completing an on-line consultation survey.

Many parents across the country have used social media to show how unhappy they are with the NFF and the impact it will have on all schools. The hashtags #whatwouldyoucut and #schoolsjustwannahavefunds have been widely used in recent days.  There is also a campaign website: http://www.fairfundingforallschools.org/

Find out how the proposed funding changes affect YOUR school here.  You can also sign and share the petition here.

RESPOND to the government's consultation on the National Funding Formula here - download our GUIDE to help you do this here

Write to your MP about it - download our model MP letter here send it to the House of Commons or email  justin.madders.mp@parliament.uk

The nine schools in the NEP are: Bishop Wilson (Burton), Childer Thornton Primary, Neston High, Neston Primary, Parkgate Primary, St Winefride's, Sutton Green Primary,  Willaston Primary and Woodfall.

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Comments

Rob Ward

At 16:20 on 10th March 2017, Rob Ward commented:

I hope all readers will send their views, not just school students or their parents. In the future there will be even fewer jobs for people with no qualitications. I don't want to live in a society with lots of unemployed young people. Would they do helpful voluntary work, or might they turn to anti-social behaviour and crime?
I'd be happy to pay more in income tax: the basic rate was 33% in 1979, and is now 20%: a small increase would help education and social care, and would be paid only by those of us who can afford it. I'd prefer that to more cuts.

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Recte Numerare

At 16:42 on 15th March 2017, Recte Numerare commented:

Doesn't work like that Rob. Higher taxation as favoured by the Socialists inevitably led to the inept wasting of our money. Today we have the lowest unemployment since the 70's - not 'lots'. The health partnerships are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into best practice and joined up thinking.
The NHS should charge people who have contributed nothing into the fabric of the NHS for their services. It is no solution to tax you and I and splattering money into fatcat manager's hands.
Heads will have to stop the wasteful use of temp agency staff that proliferated under Labour. The 'good' years have not produced better educated children. We are in the lower echelons of the world tables. So money and socialist ideology doesn't work at all. Never did!
We need to sort out some of the abusive parents who do not value teachers' professionalism and exclude them. We could retain more teachers who would want to stay and cut out the temping.
Throwing tax pounds at broken systems was always Labour's way. At one point your top rate of tax was 98% and you still couldn't balance the books!

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rayred57

At 03:11 on 16th March 2017, rayred57 commented:

The last commentator clearly has no idea what happens in schools. The only use of agency staff in schools is supply teachers (whose pay rates have been cut systematically for years). Headteachers have a legal obligation to use qualified teachers to teach children. How else do you cover for absent teachers (sick or on training courses)? The biggest problem in maintained schools is teacher work-load and the pressure to constantly improve exam results. (When these results improve year on year people then assert that the standards are less rigorous, so teachers can't win, even though close to 50% of young people now go to university.) The stress impact on staff - and resultant sickness - is entirely counterproductive. The long hours and low pay means schools struggle to recruit enough (let alone good) teachers in areas like Maths and Science - despite Government recruitment incentives. A number of teachers opt to become supply teachers to escape unacceptable pressures and unacceptable work / life balances. No school employs "temps" when they can get permanent or temporary cover staff. Do you think Governing bodies would allow that? All budget reports indicate spending on agency staff.

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CO Jones

At 20:28 on 16th March 2017, CO Jones commented:

Recte,

Did you ever work under terms and conditions similar to a zero hours contract in today's money?

Lowest unemployment? Don't make me laugh. Terrible contracts, terrible pay and Dickensian work ethics.

How depressing it is reading non real world tripe you write.

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Jeni Y

At 14:02 on 19th March 2017, Jeni Y commented:

The public sector burden on the public purse ie health, police, education etc has just become impossible to fund - like it or not they all need overhauling - there's too much mismanagement - throwing money at these organisations will not work - they need to be drastically pruned. The cushy conditions are not appreciated (try the private sector) too much sick leave and holidays are the norm - get real and join the rest of us. Wastage is on a mammoth scale - it needs addressing NOW!

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rayred57

At 14:44 on 19th March 2017, rayred57 commented:

Assertion without facts. Senior pay rates in the public sector have always been well below the private sector. Globalisation set up huge attacks on conditions like private sector final salary pensions - and those cuts have been pushed into the public sector. Most lower paid public sector jobs have been outsourced - where pay and conditions has been reduced to poverty levels. Ask the school cleaners and catering assistants in Neston paid £7.20p hour. We are a rich country that can afford descent living conditions - rather than massive levels of child poverty. But the Capitalist market dictates that wages fall while share prices boom. Apple alone has £162 billion in off-shore bank accounts. The proportion of wealth in the hands of ordinary people has fallen significantly since the 1970, and will carry on doing so until we effectively tax the rich and big business and use the money to restore the massive cuts made to our public service.

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rayred57

At 14:57 on 19th March 2017, rayred57 commented:

Locally thousands of jobs have been cut in local authorities - as government funding has reduced by 40%. Our streets are dirty, or bus services slashed, social care is in crisis - with day care cut to nothing, homecare reduced to 15 minute visits. Police officers and fire-fighters have been cut. Libraries have no librarians, childrens centres are closed, roads are pot-holed, and desperately needed council houses go un-built. Now schools face the same treatment as social care - which real terms cuts to budgets. Prisons are in crisis and the NHS Foundations say they can't provide the service on the money they will receive. Every public service is in crisis under the Tories - as big business demands the social wage is cut as well as real wages. Yet you think some silly assertion that £millions are wasted and services are inefficient is a panacea answer. CWAC Tories propose a 3% Council tax increase instead of 3.99%. presumably they are complicit in hiding the £millions being wasted?

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CO Jones

At 15:14 on 19th March 2017, CO Jones commented:

Perhaps they can cut my pension Ray? It could be the next golden egg for the current Government.

I probably don't deserve it anyway. Only the 22 years of being shot at, mortared, rocket attacked and IED'd at various challenging post codes around the Globe.

Public sector shirkers.

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rayred57

At 16:33 on 19th March 2017, rayred57 commented:

So you don't consider the military as public sector workers? Certainly the military has an unenviable record of wasting public money on procurement. Under the last Tory / LibDem Government pretty well all public sector workers have paid 50% more in pension contributions, more NI and got less in pension payouts - with delayed retirement and CPI indexing. Judging by the cuts they made they thought the military could be made substantially more efficient - no doubt something you applauded. At the end of the day we all choose the job we want to do - there is no conscription. In most public sector jobs you would probably need a degree to get the pay rate of a army private.

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CO Jones

At 16:37 on 19th March 2017, CO Jones commented:

You missed my point. I must have worded it poorly.

I agree with you. I was being ironic / sarcastic / facetious. Probably all of them to be honest although your comment about the Private soldiers pay is a little off the mark.

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rayred57

At 20:29 on 19th March 2017, rayred57 commented:

Apologies. i was a little unclear, and have obviously misinterpreted you comments. It was the last comment that confused me. Privates start on £18.3k - £23.3k (£27.6k on the higher band). Plenty of graduate jobs at £18k - £23K.

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