Shropshire schools funding crisis

Four north Shropshire secondary heads made the journey to the capital earlier this week to press minister of state for school standards, Nick Gibb MP, to back their calls for more cash.

Sue Lovecy, head at St Martins School, said that schools across the county were being forced to fill gaps in underfunded services such as mental health support and policing as well as finding money to fund nationally agreed pay rises and increased pension contributions for staff.

She and three other heads from the North Shropshire Head Teacher Forum met with the minister to set out the grave budget crisis they are facing.

The forum represents St Martins, The Marches in Oswestry, Lakelands Academy in Ellesmere, The Grove at Market Drayton, The Corbet School in Baschurch, Sir John Talbot in Whitchurch, Thomas Adams in Wem, and North Shropshire College.

Budget

Ms Lovecy said that she was looking at a £42,000 hole in her budget.

"While the new funding formula announced by government has increased my budget this year by £18,000 I have now had to meet a payrise and pensions bill increase of £60,000. This money has to come from somewhere," she said.

"This would be the biggest real-term fall in school spending per pupil for 30 years."

Shropshire is already one of the lowest funded education areas in the UK.

Ms Lovecy said that heads were also being effected by budget cuts across other areas that traditionally helped families and young people. Head were being asked to get involved in issues that would in the past have been tackled by other specialists.

"My colleagues are finding that they are being called upon to deal with matters that were once the remit of other services meaning that existing staffing is being stretched dealing with complex issues that often require expert interventions. The affect this will have on our young people and their families will be felt for years to come."

Last month hundreds of head teachers marched on Downing Street to call for better funding for education.