Fiona Bruce MP has met with Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for Education to relay the extreme level of concern and high number of objections from local residents to the Government’s new funding proposals.
Speaking after the meeting Fiona Bruce said:
“I wanted the Secretary of State to hear directly of the extreme concern on the part of teachers, parents, and students about these proposals in so far as they would, unless changed, mean that at £4122 per pupil they are very substantially lower than the £4800 sum which Headteachers in my constituency have calculated as the minimum sum reasonably required to educate young people here. Anything less would, I told her, mean severe reduction in provision either in teaching staff numbers or facilities or both and would make pupils in Cheshire East the lowest funded in the country.”
“Whilst noting my concerns, the Secretary of State urged that every concerned resident make their views known on the Government consultation. I am now urging everyone in my constituency concerned about the Government’s school funding proposals to make their concerns known by contributing on the Government website at https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/. The Government consultation closes 22nd March and I urge people not to leave it to the last day to participate.”
Fiona added:
“It is completely unjust that other parts of the country will have over £2000 more per pupil to spend on education – Tower Hamlets Authority in London would have over £6500, and I have made it very clear to Government Ministers that I will be voting against these proposals unless they are changed, which I very much hope they will be – and a huge groundswell of objections through the Government consultation could really help this.”