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Education

Will your grandchild's school be affected by education cuts? Find out...

(52 Posts)
Anya Mon 29-May-17 16:20:11

Click this link and simply enter the name of the school

Then tap the school on the map.

Bobbysgirl19 Tue 30-May-17 00:08:14

The link doesn't work for me!

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 09:31:04

It does for me.
Schools in my village cut by 6-7%

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 09:33:09

Schools in Sunderland cut by 10-13%

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 09:38:06

The other thing you can do is a party impact statement by 2022. If you click on the school you will see how much each school gains or loses per child.
You can also scroll down to find out whether your prospective parliamentary candidates will vote against the cuts, or whether they haven't bothered responding.

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 09:42:32

This is what May said yesterday.

Quizzed by an audience member on cuts to school funding, May said that wasn't the issue:

"People are focusing on funding but we need to ensure that we see more good or outstanding schools."

Obviously by cutting funding so they lose three teachers. That's a good way to make schools good or outstanding.

Lillie Tue 30-May-17 12:31:16

I agree, durhamjen, we don't necessarily need funding for the fancy stuff, but for more quality teachers - and that starts with proper training and job satisfaction.

I maintain children could be taught in a garden shed and achieve very good results provided they have good teachers.

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 12:37:49

But not if the school is having a cut of 10 staff, so class sizes are bigger.
By the way, what size classes do you have at your school?

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 12:40:18

What's fancy stuff, by the way?

Tegan2 Tue 30-May-17 12:56:19

It isn't just teaching staff that's a problem. It's very difficult teaching a class [the sizes of which are growing larger all the time]that used to have several teaching assistants for children with special needs, when those teaching assistants are no longer employed. Oh, and it helps if the school can afford to buy text books, also....

Lillie Tue 30-May-17 13:10:00

20 - 24 maximum durhamjen, (independent), and yes, I admit that every child over that figure makes the job ten times harder.

whitewave Tue 30-May-17 13:21:52

Children locally being asked to help clean their classrooms!!! What is this country coming to?

GracesGranMK2 Tue 30-May-17 13:25:13

Nine to ten per cent in our area. May is talking out of the back of her head. Staff cost are bound to be the largest part of a schools budget - unless you make them work outdoors and sell the building I suppose.

GracesGranMK2 Tue 30-May-17 13:27:49

Whitewave, the worst of it is that it doesn't need to be this way. I know the Tories have convinced everyone that we have to have austerity but that is just ideology. We could do it in a different way; it's not as if austerity is working is itsadangry

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 14:15:39

So if it's not about money but about good teachers, why do they need to be taught in classes of 20-24, Lillie?
Surely a good teacher could teach classes of 50 in a shed?

You still haven't said what you think frills are.
My son was made redundant after 20 years as a head of music. Is that a frill that other people's children don't need?

Lillie Tue 30-May-17 16:30:09

Sorry to hear about your son, dj. Music and Art are subjects which are sadly underrated in British schools and I certainly think that all children should have access to these areas.

I'm wasn't speaking about fanciful frills where the pupils are concerned, but whimsical, extravagant ideas and practices that have been introduced into schools and have cost far too much money. Most of them are not based on fact and many of them are scrapped after a relatively short while causing grief to teachers and parents alike.

I would like to think that a very good teacher could teach 50 children, but as we all know, in this day and age it would just be crowd control.

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 16:34:15

My grandmother was a village headmistress. She used to have a class of 70, from 5 to 14 year olds, with the help of one pupil teacher who was 15 or 16, depending on who was available.
I am sure we could all go back to that, particularly with computers. They wouldn't fit in your garden shed, though, and what about toilets?

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 16:38:45

Labour party are going to fund music teaching for all.

Lillie Tue 30-May-17 16:46:54

Well, of course. Just like I can command the attention of 800 kids in a school assembly for over 40 minutes. But that isn't addressing individual needs which can only be done with small class sizes!

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 16:57:09

So we all need small class sizes, then?
Whose education policies will do that - Tory who are cutting staff numbers or Labour who are giving more money to schools?

Actually, my gran did it all day, every day like all other heads at the time..

Lillie Tue 30-May-17 17:26:48

Well, from my side of the fence if class sizes increase under the Tories, then the number of parents choosing private education may well increase also.
We have the luxury of promising parents no more than 24 in a class.
And if, under labour VAT is added to school fees it won't be the school who is paying it anyway.
So either way, stays quo or better.

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 17:28:15

Nothing like flaunting your privilege.

durhamjen Tue 30-May-17 17:30:06

My granddaughter's school will have two staff cut, but they are having two new classrooms built in the playground at the moment.
I'd like to see who made those decisions.

Anya Tue 30-May-17 17:38:33

Wonder why so few people seem concerned enough to find out and respond hmm

Anya Tue 30-May-17 17:39:51

My GS's new school will lose the equivalent of 22 teachers!