SCHOOLS in Wokingham borough are set to be more than £6.5 million worse off by 2020 unless the government changes the way it allocates funds, a teaching union has warned.
Figures released by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) warns that 98% of schools across the UK will face a per-pupil funding cut over the next three years, with the average primary school losing £339 per pupil.
Secondary schools could lose around £477 per pupil.
Using the 2015/16 Department of Education funding figures and current government policies as a baseline, the NUT and ATL predict that Wokingham’s schools could see a reduction in funding of £6,525,084 by 2020, based on plans to reallocate school budgets according to a new national funding formula, and not increasing funding per pupil in line with inflation.
The reduction in funding equates to the loss of £316 for each of the 20,649 pupils within the borough, and approximately 175 teachers based on an average teacher’s salary of £37,250.
One of the worst hit primary schools could be Rivermead Primary School in Woodley, which stands to see a reduction of £162,548, which equates to £407 per pupil, and four teachers.
Maiden Erlegh School in Earley could potentially see a deficit of £940,196, which equates to around £679 per pupil, or 25 teachers.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wokingham, Cllr Lindsay Ferris said he was ‘very, very disappointed’ at the news.
He said: “Schools in Wokingham are feeling extremely short-changed. Last year, both parties of Wokingham Borough Council lobbied the government to look at the entitlements for our schools, and we are very, very disappointed that the level of funding is still nowhere near enough.
“One thing we are particularly surprised about is the fact that the Prime Minister has schools in her constituency which will suffer from these shortfalls in funding, so we were expecting more to be done.
“We will continue to push the government to secure a better deal for our schools and ultimately for Wokingham’s young people.
And Cllr Andy Croy, the sole Labour councillor on Wokingham Borough Council, is furious, blaming Wokingham MP John Redwood for the gap in funding adding Conservatives policy has led to the reduction in money for schools.
He told The Wokingham Paper: “John Redwood has utterly failed in his attempts to get better funding for Wokingham’s children.
“The new formula is a disaster for Wokingham children.
“We will see life chances of our children directly reduced by this utter fiasco. The only thing keeping Wokingham schools going is the hard work of our teachers, students and parental support.
“Education funding is running on fumes and the Tories have managed to make it worse.”
The NUT and ATL are now calling on parents to lobby their local MPs and sign a petition opposing the government’s plan to cut schools’ funding by £3 billion.
Kevin Courtney, the General Secretary of the NUT said: “No head teacher should be put in the position of increasing class sizes, leaving building repairs undone or cutting staff and resources simply to balance the books. Nor should any parent accept this for their child. We are one of the richest countries in the world. We can and we should be funding our schools properly.”
The General Secretary of the ATL, Mary Bousted agreed: “The Government must increase funding for schools.
“If it just reallocates the existing budget many children will lose out, with some of the most deprived hit hardest.
“The formula for schools’ funding must not be reformed while making real terms cuts to spending. All children deserve a fair chance to succeed and should not suffer because schools are under-resourced and teachers over-worked.”
We contacted Wokingham Borough Council for a comment, but they were unable to do so as we went to press.
To find out more visit www.schoolcuts.org.uk.
There is a Facebook group devoted to a campaign pushing for more funding for the borough’s schools. Link here
How your school is affected
| Primary schools | Budget change by 2019 | Per Pupil | Teachers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coombes Primary School, Arborfield | -£172,988.00 | -£335.00 | -4 |
| Rivermead Primary School, Woodley | -£162,548.00 | -£407.00 | -4 |
| Shinfield St Mary's CE Junior School, Shinfield | -£139,390.00 | -£643.00 | -4 |
| Earley St Peter's CE Aided Primary School, Earley | -£136,140.00 | -£279.00 | -3 |
| Keep Hatch Primary School, Wokingham | -£126,179.00 | -£308.00 | -3 |
| Bearwood Primary School, Sindlesham | -£120,873.00 | -£467.00 | -3 |
| Hillside Primary School, Lower Earley | -£117,450.00 | -£281.00 | -3 |
| Grazeley Parochial CE Aided Primary School, Grazeley | -£115,732.00 | -£857.00 | -3 |
| Shinfield Infant School, Shinfield | -£115,116.00 | -£427.00 | -3 |
| Radstock Primary School, Lower Earley | -£113,264.00 | -£270.00 | -3 |
| Beechwood Primary School, Woodley | -£111,038.00 | -£367.00 | -3 |
| Hawthorns Primary School, Wokingham | -£107,473.00 | -£242.00 | -2 |
| Polehampton CE Infant School, Twyford | -£89,938.00 | -£499.00 | -2 |
| All Saints CofE Aided Primary School | -£89,801.00 | -£430.00 | -2 |
| Whiteknights Primary School, Shinfield | -£89,743.00 | -£220.00 | -2 |
| Loddon Primary School, Earley | -£87,381.00 | -£209.00 | -2 |
| St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School, Woodley | -£84,885.00 | -£226.00 | -2 |
| South Lake Primary School, Woodley | -£82,502.00 | -£197.00 | -2 |
| Robert Piggott CE Controlled Junior School, Wargrave | -£80,010.00 | -£445.00 | -2 |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Wokingham | -£77,936.00 | -£256.00 | -2 |
| Hatch Ride Primary School, Crowthorne | -£76,797.00 | -£371.00 | -1 |
| Emmbrook Infant School, Wokingham | -£76,647.00 | -£443.00 | -2 |
| Polehampton CE Junior School, Twyford | -£74,757.00 | -£310.00 | -2 |
| St Nicholas CE Primary School, Hurst | -£69,612.00 | -£508.00 | -1 |
| Willowbank Infant School, Woodley | -£69,508.00 | -£392.00 | -1 |
| Oaklands Infant School, Crowthorne | -£66,327.00 | -£383.00 | -1 |
| Hawkedon Primary School, Lower Earley | -£63,719.00 | -£101.00 | -1 |
| Crowthorne Church of England Primary School | -£63,556.00 | -£304.00 | -1 |
| Woodley CE Primary School, Woodley | -£62,388.00 | -£202.00 | -1 |
| Finchampstead CE Aided Primary School, Finchampstead | -£62,166.00 | -£541.00 | -1 |
| Lambs Lane Primary School, Spencers Wood | -£60,444.00 | -£287.00 | -1 |
| Wescott Infant School, Wokingham | -£60,250.00 | -£375.00 | -1 |
| Winnersh Primary School, Winnersh | -£60,097.00 | -£134.00 | -1 |
| Nine Mile Ride Primary School, Wokingham | -£59,470.00 | -£174.00 | -1 |
| Willowbank Junior School, Woodley | -£58,371.00 | -£247.00 | -1 |
| Colleton Primary School, Twyford | -£57,817.00 | -£170.00 | -1 |
| Sonning CD Primary School, Sonning | -£57,214.00 | -£289.00 | -1 |
| Gorse Ride Junior School, Finchampstead | -£56,569.00 | -£241.00 | -1 |
| Aldryngton Primary School, Earley | -£55,352.00 | -£175.00 | -1 |
| Robert Piggott CE Controlled Infant School, Wargrave | -£53,676.00 | -£417.00 | -1 |
| Gorse Ride Infant School, Finchampstead | -£52,626.00 | -£344.00 | -1 |
| Farley Hill Primary School, Swallowfield | -£51,563.00 | -£285.00 | -1 |
| Crazies Hill CE Primary School, Wargrave | -£41,651.00 | -£468.00 | -1 |
| St Paul's CE Junior School, Wokingham | -£41,258.00 | -£107.00 | -1 |
| Westende Junior School, Wokingham | -£37,659.00 | -£168.00 | -1 |
| Highwood Primary School, Woodley | -£27,117.00 | -£154.00 | -1 |
| Walter Infant School, Wokingham | -£16,603.00 | -£62.00 | 0 |
| St Sebastian's CE Aided Primary School, Wokingham | -£14,672.00 | -£105.00 | 0 |
| Emmbrook Junior School, Wokingham | No data | ||
| Evendons Primary School, Wokingham | No data | ||
| Oaklands Junior School, Crowthorne | No data | ||
| Windmill Primary School | No data |
| Secondary schools | Budget change by 2019 | Per Pupil | Teachers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maiden Erlegh School, Earley | -£940,196.00 | -£679.00 | -25 |
| The Holt School, Wokingham | -£658,790.00 | -£658.00 | -17 |
| Waingels College, Woodley | -£282,491.00 | -£247.00 | -7 |
| The Forest School, Winnersh | -£267,464.00 | -£279.00 | -7 |
| St Crispin's School, Wokingham | -£206,107.00 | -£219.00 | -5 |
| Bulmershe School, Woodley | -£163,292.00 | -£234.00 | -4 |
| Emmbrook School, Wokingham | -£154,589.00 | -£176.00 | -4 |
| Oakbank School, Ryeish Green | No data | ||
| The Piggott School, Wargrave | No data | ||
| Ryeish Green School, Spencers Wood | No data |
