School Budget Cuts in Pendle

Published: 20 April 2017

Nelson Town Council unanimously supports the proposal by Pendle Borough Council on School Budget Cuts in Pendle, as set out in its letter from Jane Watson, and adds its own request for these proposals to be withdrawn immediately.

Pendle Borough Council Wrote:

“Dear Sir/Madam,
SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS IN PENDLE

At last the Council meeting a notice of motion was presented in relation to school budget cuts in Pendle:

Pendle Council –

(1) Notes that the funding for school budgets is now determined by central Government, and that research by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) show that secondary and primary schools in Pendle are due to have an annual cut in their budgets of approximately £5.7m in real terms by 2020. This is caused partly by the cap on school budgets between now and then, and the proposed new “fair funding formula” – both policies of the present Conservative Government.

(2) Notes that some of the worst hit primary schools average £443 per pupil, ranging from £184 to £1,195 (this at Roughlee C of E School) and that the differences bear no relationship to type of school or degree of disadvantage and appear to be wholly arbitrary.

(3) Notes that some of the worst hit primary schools are in more disadvantaged areas (West Street Community Primary £995 per pupil, Whitefield Infants £715 and Lomeshaye Junior £564); and some in rural schools (Roughlee £1,195, Salterforth £734, Newchurch-In-Pendle St. Mary’s C of E £722 and Blacko £525) but that every school in Pendle will suffer a cut in spending per pupil with likely cuts in the number of teachers.

(4) Considers that the proposed cuts to secondary school budgets, including huge reductions of £782,488-763 per pupil – at Pendle Vale College £639,849-£763 per pupil – at Marsden heights Community College and Sent to: See last paragraph of letter £453,311-£463 per pupil at Colne Park High School, risk having a disastrous effect on the already low GCSE results in Pendle.

(5) Expresses its alarm at the effect these budget cuts are likely to have on the education of Pendle children.

(6) Calls on the Government to withdraw these proposals immediately and to reconsider its approach to funding schools so as to maintain overall real terms funding per pupil, to make a new funding formula fair to all schools; and to ensure that all school budgets are protected from real terms cuts during the rest of this Parliament up to 2020.

(7) Requests the support for this resolution from the governing body of each school in Pendle, and each Town and Parish Council in Pendle.

(8) Requests the Member of Parliament for Pendle to take this matter up with the Government as a matter of urgency.

This resolution to be sent to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Education, the MP for Pendle, Lancashire County Council, the chair of each governing body of schools in Pendle, each Town and Parish Council in Pendle, the local branches of the NUT, ALT and NAHT, and the local press.

As you see I was asked to write to you drawing your attention to the resolutions.”