Schools and Colleges in Enfield North have expressed their serious concerns about real terms cuts to education funding, the teacher recruitment and retention crisis and increasing levels of deprivation affecting pupils, in response to a survey conducted by Joan Ryan MP.
Joan wrote to the Heads of primary schools, secondary schools, special educational needs schools and colleges in her constituency to gain a greater understanding of how the Government’s education policies are affecting Enfield North.
Four schools indicated that they could be running significant budget deficits within the next three years and others are already looking at reductions in staff numbers, and a narrowing of the curriculum to make ends meet.
Many schools are having “extreme difficulty recruiting new staff” and supply agencies – who charge high finder’s fees and target Newly Qualified Teachers – are making recruitment more problematic.
Whilst the Pupil Premium has been a useful means to help reduce the educational achievement gap between poor students and their better off peers, a number of schools report that there are an “increasing number of pupils who have fallen into the poverty trap.” With less funding available it will, according to one Head, be “increasingly more difficult to meet the demand” to support poorer children.
Joan raised these issues directly with the Government during her Budget Debate speech on education in Parliament last week – Thursday 17th March – and has written to Rt. Hon Nicky Morgan MP, the Secretary of State for Education, to make her aware of the education concerns in Enfield North.
Rt. Hon Joan Ryan MP said: “I am very grateful to all Heads of schools and colleges in the constituency who took part in my survey.
“Their views have given me a real insight into the education issues of importance to our area and have been key to informing my work in Parliament, on their behalf.
“What is clear is that many schools and colleges are concerned about what the future might hold, especially with how they will be able to maintain high standards with funding being squeezed.
“The Secretary of State needs to address all the issues raised and to provide reassurances that the Government is committed to investing properly in the long-term future of Enfield’s education system.”