Haringey Council leader Claire Kober has thrown her support behind a national campaign – led by parents in the borough – calling on the government to reconsider plans for a new education funding formula, which could see local schools lose more than 10 percent of their annual budgets.
Parents, teachers, governors and councillors fear the new funding approach could undermine the hard work being done across Haringey to ensure the borough is home to some of the very best schools in the country.
A copy of Cllr Kober’s letter to local headteachers can be seen below
Schools’ funding formula
Dear Headteacher,
Visiting Haringey schools to see first-hand the exceptional work that’s being done to ensure our young people enjoy the best opportunities in life is undoubtedly one of my highlights as council leader.
There is much to be proud of in our borough, where the hard work of teachers, governors, support staff and pupils – together with fairer funding for our schools – means standards have never been higher. More than 90 percent of our schools are rated outstanding or good by Ofsted, and year-on-year our results compete with the best in the country.
But on visits during the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to many of you about the government’s proposed new National Funding Formula, and the impact this could have on Haringey schools that are already feeling the squeeze of real term funding cuts and rising costs of national insurance, pensions and business rates.
As you know, the national campaign for fairer funding was launched by parents here in Haringey. Their campaign – which I’m pleased to see is attracting significant support – is commendable and they are absolutely right to be concerned. On a school-by-school basis, the proposed funding formula could remove up to 11 percent from budgets, inevitably leading to unenviable decisions about how to balance the books.
I’m concerned that cuts will affect hundreds of children and families here in Haringey, that those who depend on school-funded activities such as extra-curriculum sessions and breakfast clubs will have a huge impact on families who are currently just managing. And I’m concerned that this drop in funding threatens to undermine your hard work and jeopardise the capacity for our schools to continue to drive further improvements. I fear it will threaten our ability to offer young people the education and opportunities they deserve.
That’s why we’re calling on the government to invest more in schools. Specifically, we want them to commit to providing an additional £335million per year – just one percent of the entire DfE schools’ budget – to ensure no school loses funding as a direct result of the National Funding Formula.
And that’s why we need your help. The consultation on the National Funding Formula runs until March 22 and is your chance to share your views. Together with the Haringey Schools’ Forum, we’ll be responding to the consultation, and we want as many teachers, governors and parents as possible to have their say and join our calls for a commitment that no school in the country will lose out. Minsters need to know that concerns go beyond teaching unions and opposition politicians – that everyone involved with the education of our children can see the very real threat that this double whammy of cuts and rising costs poses.
Respond to the government’s consultation; write to the Secretary of State, the education minister; the Education Select Committee and the Treasury; spell out what this funding formula will mean for your school, and for the children and families in your school community. Below are some pointers on how to make your voices heard.
This is a chance for your school community to help shape education funding in our borough and our country, so that future generations can enjoy the same opportunities as our pupils today.
Yours sincerely
Cllr Claire Kober
Leader, Haringey Council
National Funding Formula – how you can help
Spread the word amongst your parents, staff and governors – and encourage them to have their say.
Respond to the online consultation, here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/
Wherever possible, write personalised letters – spell out the specific situation in your school, including how much funding you stand to lose and what kind of decisions you may face as a result, whether that’s staffing reductions, a lack of new facilities, less one-to-one support for pupils or a reduction in extra-curricular activities that families rely on.
Write to one person at a time (rather than using a “cc list” and vary who you write to. For example, your Chair of Governors may write to one minster, while your Parents’ Association writes to another.
You can write to:
- The Rt Honourable Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for Education, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA – email: greening@parliament.uk
- The Rt Honourable Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for School Standards, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA – email: gibbn@parliament.uk
- Neil Carmichael, Chair of the Education Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
- The Rt Honourable Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Correspondence and Enquiry Unit, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ – email: hammondp@parliament.uk