Peter Peacock’s letter to School Boards on Council Cuts
Dear Chairperson
Council Cuts in School Spending
We are concerned about the level of the cuts to be made in Council spending on schools.
We have seen huge progress in our schools over recent years with the biggest recruitment programme of extra teachers in recent history, more support staff being recruited and an expansion in nursery education.
Class sizes have been cut at key stages of school and more was becoming possible.
Sadly we now face the prospect of teachers being offered early retirement to reduce spending, janitor posts being removed, devolved budgets to head teachers being heavily constrained and pre-school spending cut significantly.
All the progress of recent years is in danger of going into reverse.
In your school that may mean, during the course of the year, the loss of a teacher, or visiting teacher, or a member of school support staff, or posts that become vacant becoming frozen.
Many parents, grandparents and teachers have already expressed serious concern to us about what this might mean. We want to campaign with parents and teachers want to try and persuade the council and the government to change their priorities and keep the progress we were making going.
We have launched a special website www.educationcutswatch.org.uk where you can obtain information on the full level of the cuts. The site also sets out what representations we have already made on the issues to the Council and Government.
The site has links to an online petition for anyone with concerns to sign.
You can download a petition form for use in and around your school which you can return to us.
We will pass the petitions to Parliament, the Government and Council in due course.
You can also e mail us regarding any cuts your schools faces now or during the year and we will be happy to make individual representations and seek meetings with Ministers and the Council in support of your concerns.
You should feel free to notify us anytime cuts in teachers take place, if more classes are composited, if janitorial or other posts are frozen or if your head teachers devolved school budget is cut.
Together we can perhaps get these disastrous cuts stopped. All our contact details are set out below.
Yours sincerely
Peter Peacock Rhoda Grant David Stewart
