Dishonest reporting of spending on education

Damian Hinds ( who he?) is current Education Secretary.

I’m sure everyone expects the Government to provide Government spending figures. Including student tuition fees and private school fees is blatantly fraudulent use of statistics.
Lies, damn lies and statistics.
Tories would probably call it “creative accounting”.

That's the phrase I was searching for. I think I shall bother my MP about this one, hear his take on it.

So, no comment at all from the Conservatives here- strange, that, no?

Maybe they should include all the money parents and grandparents spend on books, toys, school uniforms, trips etc. Education spending would increase ten fold!

If you are actually cutting education spending per pupil, have lost millions with unsuccessful Academies and Free schools and know there is a huge crisis in education looming I suppose you have to try and cover it up by bamboozling people with creative accounting.

I know there are others on here who are school governors & I am chair of Govs at a local infant school.. only 180 pupils. We need 6 classteachers, a HT , a pt caretaker & office admin as a minimum. Teaching assistants are now a " luxury". We are being told that there is a funded 3.5% teacher payrise.. funded for 2 years. It actually does not cover all oncosts & then what happens in 2 years? We have cut all we can cut : specialist music/ PE options, materials and staff training. HT does most of the cover so her workload is huge and we cannot offer more than the statutory 2hrs prep time a week out of class for teachers to do any extra development work with newer colleagues etc. HT has not had a pay increase for 5 years. This is not a way to run a top class education service! Whilst money is not everything it helps hugely in providing resources..human and otherwise.. that takes provision from good to excellent. We are on the brink of going from good to poor. What would you think our children deserve?

So, no comment at all from the Conservatives here- strange, that, no?

Let's not forget Esther McVey, either, who had the bare-faced audacity to refer to benefit cuts as "Fake news" in her speech!

You sum the situation up perfectly PECS. my newly qualified DD, in her NQT year, has no TA help at all, and her NQT morning and PPA time is covered by the overworked headteacher. Their photocopying is seriously limited, most of the additional reading books in her library corner were bought by DD as were the cushions and pictures to make it an attractive and welcoming corner of her cold classroom. It is not so much the facts as we know them, more the denial, verging on lies that incenses me, do these people really think we are that stupid?

t is not so much the facts as we know them, more the denial, verging on lies that incenses me, do these people really think we are that stupid?

Hear, hear GillT

I'm afraid the answer to your question is probably 'Yes', though...

I am asking the teachers to try to keep a record of any money they spend themselves to suppirt the curriculum.

Keep trying jura2 ? ?

I don't believe they think we're stupid, they just don't care what we think, which is worse. And they don't care what we think because they face no credible opposition. Where is Labour on this (have I missed something?)

Last time the Tories were in power they damaged education and left a system desperately struggling with leaking unfit buildings because of under investment. It doesn't surprise me that they are doing similar things again, however trying to cover it all up is a new low.

I don't remember hearing anything positive about investment in education coming out of the LP conference, but at least they didn't lie about it. The investigation should be interesting, I do wonder how they look their fellow MPs in the eye as they are found out, but then again when you remember the expenses scandal.........
Any supporters of Damian Hinds MP like to speak up? remind us that we are living in the best of all possible worlds? Thought not.

Maw 'Keep trying jura2 ? ?'

care to give your comment Maw? What do you think about the figures given?

At the moment, I cannot blame anyone choosing to send their kids to private school - as long as they keep caring, and keep fighting- for an excellent education for all.

No thank you.

Hmm, did none of you R4 listeners here a minister say the figures were correct? Shouldn't we wait and see what the investigation concludes? Not taking sides just thoroughly fed up with all sorts of accusations against all sorts of people being taken as facts. Think Cliff Richard.

Thought so - so why comment at all? Strange.

No comment.

Another factor to consider: some of tthe money we are told is spent on schools never reaches the schools but goes into the pockets of the directors of large chains of academies. I'm not talking about earned salaries, I'm talking about academies such as he Bright Tribe Trust, recently featured on Panorama, who have pocketed hundreds of thousands they were given to carry out repairs on school buildings. If this is happening around the country, millions of pounds of "education spending" from taxpayers' money is being siphoned off by businessmen.

It's all a bit silly then ;)

That was to Maw of course. Posts crossed grannyticktock - what you are describing is despicable and disgusting, for sure.