Constituents have contacted me with concerns around school funding and how this impacts local schools.
I share the concerns raised. Most of the communications have finished with a request that I speak with Ministers, raise the matter in Parliament and be prepared to speak out and evidence my support.
Since December, I have been working to do all which has been asked and I hope that constituents will take a little time to view the following weblink which details all I have been doing:
https://www.huwmerriman.org.uk/campaigns/schools-funding
As this link will show, I wrote to all Headteachers in the constituency in December to alert them of the new funding formula. I was the first MP in to the Department of Education to speak with the Schools Minister to understand why many of my rural schools, which were supposed to do better under the new mechanism, are facing reductions in their funding. I have also spoken out in national and local media with my concerns.
As constituents will see from the letter to me from the Schools Minister, the Government seeks to explain that the £40bl+ funding for schools is at record levels and has been protected. As constituents may be aware, schools are facing rising costs due to welcome increases in pay and benefits for staff. In my view, and as constituents will read and view, I believe that we need to find ways to deliver more funds to schools or, as with the Apprenticeship Levy, remove the costs altogether. This can be done by increasing taxes, reducing (or transferring) spending from other related departments or by a fairer reallocation from metropolitan areas to rural areas like ours.
In addition to lobbying Government, I have arranged a meeting with the Local Education Authority to ask why they are reducing school budgets in order to cover the costs of specialist education for those with special needs. I have also contacted the District Council to ask why schools in the north of the constituency had been told to plan for increased housing and pupils (money follows the pupil) only to have housing numbers revised downwards.
As the link details, I work extremely closely with my local schools and I have worked in conjunction with the Headteachers who lead the campaign to lobby me and, via me, the Government. Having met with many Headteachers and Governors, it has been agreed that we will shortly hold one constituency-wide meeting with me and all of our Headteachers and Governors.
Having received a poor secondary education at a failing school, but having fortunately gone on to an established University, I have experienced a side of the coin which I do not wish any of my constituents to experience. This drives me to support my schools and speak up for them.
I thank constituents for adding their voice and I hope constituents will keep an eye on the website which will include further updates following a meeting this week with the Secretary of State for Education.
