London schools put at risk by Tories 'disproportionate' school funding formula
3 min read
New funding formula cuts will impact schools in areas of London with the highest levels of deprivation, says Helen Hayes MP.
Since I was elected in 2015 few issues have generated such a passionate response as the Tories’ schools funding formula proposals. In the past few weeks, I have spoken at meetings attended by more than 500 local parents. A further 100 parents and children joined a protest outside a local school last week, and hundreds more have been in touch with me by email, letter and on social media.
The changes to the schools funding formula will see cuts to 70% of London’s schools. This is at a time of unprecedented budget pressures within schools as a consequence of a series of unfunded costs – the National Minimum Wage increase, employers’ pension contributions, employers’ national insurance contributions and, for local authority schools only, the apprenticeship levy.
The additional cuts due to the school funding formula will be unsustainable for many schools. Collectively London’s schools will lose £360m in 2018-2019. These the cuts will not fall evenly, but will disproportionately affect schools in areas of London with the highest levels of deprivation.
Schools in London have made vast strides since 1997 when they were the worst in the country. Now 94% of London’s schools are judged to be good or outstanding by Ofsted. This transformation was achieved through a combination of political leadership, appropriate resourcing, stringent accountability and through the hard work of teachers, governors, support staff and parents.
Many parents in my constituency attended failing schools as children. They remember the crumbling buildings, leaky roofs, shortages of books and materials, very large class sizes, and poor discipline; and they refuse to accept the same for their own children.
London schools deliver for every child. They are not reliant on selection and as a consequence London children also benefit from being educated in a diverse environment which helps to build understanding and community cohesion.
A primary head told me that in order to balance the budget this year their school has had to lose six members of staff. Prior to this academic year the school employed one Teaching Assistant per class, but this year they have a Teaching Assistant per year group. A typical secondary school in my constituency will lose £500,000 in real terms in the next three years, which will undoubtedly affect the school’s ability to support student achievement and wellbeing.
The government’s stated aim in revising the schools funding formula is fairness. I agree with this aim but there is nothing fair about cutting funding from high performing schools in deprived areas. It would take just 1% of the education budget to ensure that no school loses out through the introduction of the national funding formula.
London is a template for how to improve schools so that they serve pupils of all abilities and backgrounds well. Investing in London schools has yielded significant gains and the lessons learned from London should be applied across the country. It is time for the Tories to think again on school funding.
Helen Hayes is the Labour Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood
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