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“We Had To Employ A Failing Teacher Because We Can’t Afford An Experienced One”

Looking forward to spending your hard-won funds on those fun extras that kids enjoy? A rude awakening may be around the corner, learns Anna Blewett…

Anna Blewett
by Anna Blewett
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[Some names have been changed to protect the anonymity of our sources]

There’s nothing like the summer term to swell the coffers for the next school year – end-of-term discos, summer fêtes and special leavers’ events all offer excellent fundraising opportunities. But if your committee has earmarked last summer’s funds for Christmas pantos and class trips, you may have to think again. Unprecedented budget cuts are forcing heads to take difficult decisions, and breaching the normal etiquette around asking for your cash may be just the beginning.

“Our PTFA hasn’t been asked to support the school in its basic provisions, and if we were I don’t think we’d be happy,” says Fran, the outgoing chair of a PTA in Colchester, Essex. “We all feel we raise money for the extras. We always pay for the Christmas panto, and this year we’re reopening the school swimming pool. I know there are cuts in budgets, but currently our school must be managing because they haven’t requested anything from the PTFA. That’s not our function as we see it!’

Many PTAs would echo Fran’s sentiment, and yet an uncomfortable reality may be looming on the horizon. “Most PTAs feel they exist to provide the icing on the cake,” says Jane, a special educational needs co-ordinator with 40 years in the teaching profession who is currently based at a small village school. “But right now, that cake’s crumbling. Parents don’t necessarily know because budget cuts aren’t impacting on them yet, but they will.”

“It’s going to get worse”

These ominous words are backed by troubling facts. Recent statistics from PTA UK suggest that more than a third of parents have been asked for financial contributions towards their children’s schooling. When the Department for Education (DfE) released statistics last month showing that expenditure in academies exceeds income, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) described the figures as damning, and said they proved that “School funding levels are unsustainable”.

More relatable for most of us are stories of the impact. St John’s Primary School in Crowborough, East Sussex, hit the headlines in March when parents were asked for donations of essential supplies, such as pencils, glue sticks, paper and even toilet roll. At Wandsworth’s Furzedown Primary School, meanwhile, older pupils were asked to help clean classrooms when no cash could be found to replace a departing cleaner.

Such tales are a wake-up call to anyone ring-fencing funds for ‘fun extras’. Fran’s successor may be forced to change their policy. At a school just 10 miles away the cuts are biting. “We have such a serious crisis that we had to make the decision to employ a failing teacher because we can’t afford an experienced one,” says Caroline, a Year 6 teacher in the senior leadership team. “Only 51% of children taught by him this year have met their expected progress, which is shocking, and some have even gone backwards. As a result, staff are now being rotated so his class gets a good teacher for the new school year and his new class will have a good teacher next year.

“We are also using PE premium money to fund learning support assistants in the afternoons, but we will have to share one between two classes, so the impact they’ll have will be minimal. We’ll have had to make redundancies, and currently have no idea how on earth we’re going to manage our SEN interventions or Pupil Premium expectations, as we literally have no staff to do it! Our CPD budget is £200 per teacher and most courses are around £400 to £500. That’s fine if you’re experienced, but not good for new staff!” For many schools, the problems are just starting. “It’s bad now and it’s going to get worse as the budget decreases over three years,” Caroline continues. “We’ll be desperate for whatever our PTA can raise, but sadly unless parents follow politics – and even then it’s not clear – they won’t realise the situation.”

Helping with the essentials

A widespread lack of transparency around holes in the budget may not be surprising – after all, what school wants to tell prospective parents that they’re struggling to balance the books? – but it could be obscuring a route out of the crisis. “I think some good would come from being more open with parents,” admits Tanya, finance manager at a single-form entry primary in North Essex. “People would realise how much we desperately need the PTA to keep fundraising. There really is the need for help; I think letting people know what’s going on could work to schools’ advantage.”

Tanya’s workplace, like many schools, is facing some bleak realities. “We’ve reduced the number of teaching assistants and teachers. It’s unfortunate – we’ve lost the equivalent of two full-time teachers and can no longer offer specific children the extra help they need – but it’s just something we’ve had to do.” Like the team at Caroline’s school, Tanya is hoping for continued financial support from parents. “A good PTA is a very valuable commodity,” she points out. “They struggle to exist, but I hope they’re not a dying breed because they’re worth their weight in gold.” Cash raised by the school’s PTA – the hard-won profit from discos, talent shows, bazaars and quiz evenings – has taken on a new significance as the budget dwindles.

“Money from the PTA always used to be for fun things,” says Tanya. “Seven or eight years ago that cash was used to subsidise school trips and contribute to big one-off expenses like a new computer suite. It always covered the little things, too – crackers and serviettes on the table for the school Christmas dinner. Just the finishing touches, little extras the children wouldn’t otherwise have.

“But latterly it’s been books, an outdoor learning space, playground equipment. Now the PTA is helping more with essentials, rather than just the fun things.” But do parents have any idea of the situation? “Some parent governors have a fairly good understanding, but I don’t think many others really understand how difficult things are in school.” Tanya replies. “You hear flippant remarks: ‘You get a really good budget of a million pounds!’ Well, that money doesn’t go very far! The bulk of it goes on staffing, and then there are all the hidden extras. National Insurance contributions are going up, and pension contributions, and now we have to pay an apprenticeship levy.

“No one talks about those things. They’re all hidden very cleverly by the government, but they’re passed on to schools who now have to find all this extra money from a budget that’s dwindling anyway.” Enthusing parents to raise cash for such expenditure may be a tough challenge, but it seems that such concerns may be the future for your PTA.

School funding in crisis – a timeline

December 2016 The National Audit Office produces a report on the financial sustainability of schools, which warns of a reduction in spending “Not seen since the mid-1990s”, equating to an 8% cut in real terms over the five year period to 2019/20.

March 2017 A report from the Public Accounts Committee accuses the DfE of putting pupils’ futures at risk, criticising its requirement that schools in England make a total of £3bn savings in the period to 2020.

June 2017 More than 4,000 schools write to parents asking that they help make school funding a ‘doorstep issue’ in the 2017 general election campaign. The NAHT describes the situation as ‘unprecedented’.

July 2017 Education Secretary Justine Greening announces £1.3bn in funding for schools in England, amid accusations that the money will come from existing allocations rather than an injection of new cash. Campaign group Fair Funding for All Schools (see fairfundingforallschools.org) co-ordinates a rally in central London, highlighting the number of schools asking parents to set up direct debits to plug school budget shortfalls.

September 2017 A long-awaited announcement on the final funding formula is expected this month. To view an estimate of how your local school will be affected, visit schoolcuts.co.uk – a regularly updated website developed by a partnership of teaching unions, which tracks the impact of funding cuts on overall budgets, cash per pupil and staff numbers.

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