BY 2020, an average primary school in the Forest of Dean will have a real terms cut in their budget of over £32,000 or £205 per pupil. This would equate to the salary of one teacher.
An average secondary school would face a real terms cut of over £275,000 in its budget or £455 per pupil, equating to seven teachers. This is based on National Audit Office figures.
Pressures are being put on all school budgets through pay and pension increases, as well as the apprenticeship levy.
Fairer funding is good, in principle, as long as it is properly funded.
What is the case is that 99 per cent of schools nationally will be losing funding by 2019 and the Forest of Dean is no exception.
There is no case for building new grammar schools when there is insufficient funding for existing schools.
All this would do is to put additional pressure on our secondary schools, which will, effectively, become secondary moderns.
We know that some secondaries are under threat and are being assessed as underperforming.
Education cuts will only make their situation worse.
We need more funding – not less.
We need all of our children and young people able to attend a good school within their locality. They deserve the best as they are our future.
We also must ensure that the college goes ahead on the Northern Quarter site, as our young people deserve the chance to receive high quality education at all levels in the Forest, without needing to spend hours travelling.
We need skilled young people who live and work here and, without a good quality education, we are letting them down.