On Saturday Dec 7th, parents, teachers and trade union members will be taking to the streets to raise awareness of the impact of school funding cuts in Swindon. Based in wharf Green from 11-3pm, activists will be engaging with the community and giving out leaflets for the public to distribute at their local school. All local candidates supporting the event are expected to be at the stall for 1pm.
The event, organised jointly by Swindon NEU, Swindon Trades Council and Fair Funding for All School Swindon, is part of a wave of similar events across the country in the run-up to the election.
This comes on top of a dramatic increase in child poverty which sees an average of 9 children out of every class of thirty living in poverty.
During the 2017 election, education spending became a key issue, with polling company Survation estimating that 750,000 people switched their vote over concerns with school funding. This time round, a recent poll has found that education is a top 3 priority issue for voters.
The campaign is not supporting a specific party but is calling on voters to have education funding in mind when voting. This could involve looking at pledges, voting records or local information at schoolcuts.org.uk. In Swindon, Kate Linnegar and Sarah Church of Labour as well as Andy Bentley of the Green Party have signed the campaign pledge to ‘fix school funding’.
Data released by the School Cuts campaign shows that 83% of schools will be left worse off under current funding arrangements. This includes 58 schools in Swindon, who face a funding shortfall of £6.3 million, or £200 per pupil in 2020.
Swindon NEU District Secretary Debbie Brown said ‘We are really pleased that local candidates from Labour and the Green party have signed our pledge to end the crisis in school funding. Our members are frequently reporting growing class sizes, less staff and reduced support for pupils, especially those with Special Educational Needs. It is a shame that, after numerous invitations and discussions, our current MPs are still flying in the face of the experiences of teachers and parents by claiming that there is no crisis in school funding. Our members have been really enthusiastic about this campaign. They’ve been out door to door, leafleting their schools and even phoning every student teacher in Swindon to make sure they’re registered to vote.’
Kate Linnegar, Labour candidate for North Swindon Said; “On the doorstep, and around North Swindon, school funding is a concern expressed repeatedly by local parents. It is clear that many of our schools do not have adequate funding. On top of spiralling child poverty figures, this presents a worrying picture of increasing need, but decreasing support. Teachers and support staff do a magnificent job under increasingly untenable conditions. They have my full support, and my pledge that the proper funding of schools and our young people’s future has and will continue to be one of my top priorities.”
Sarah Church, Labour Candidate for South Swindon said; “Investment in our children’s education is probably the best investment we make. I believe that all our children deserve the best chances in life and that’s why fairer and better funding for our schools must be a priority at this election.”
Andy Bentley, Green Party candidate for North Swindon said; “‘As a parent, I recognise the importance of properly funded education and the terrible impact that a decade of sustained cuts to education funding has had. As well as reversing cuts to school funding, the Green Party is pledging to introduce a rich, broad curriculum that develops the whole child rather than just prepping them for tests. We will also bring academies and free schools back into local democratic oversight.”
For more information, please contact Jon Timbrell at Jon.Timbrell@neu.org.uk or on 07701385982.
