Schools get heavy on 'voluntary' contributions

In another example of how the vast amount of money Britain hands over to the EU towards its lavish costs - £115 million every single week on average - is depriving essential public services, a new report has revealed that schools are increasingly having to send heavy-handed demands to parents for 'voluntary' financial contributions.

Quote a parent who received such a letters, the Guardian reports: "It read like a letter from a debt-collector ... "Our accounts indicate you have not made a contribution," it stated. "Our records indicate you have not contacted us." In fact, it was a letter from a state primary school. And it was asking for "voluntary" contributions of £40 from parents to its annual fund".

"I recognise that you may feel unable to pay the full amount," the chair of governors went on. "We always invite parents to write to us to explain their circumstances and propose an alternative."

Another parent told Education Guardian that her child's state school in Buckinghamshire had rung her "several times" when she did not immediately pay its annual voluntary contribution.

A report by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) on the cost of schooling last year found that three in 10 parents were asked to make voluntary contributions.

Secondary schools tended to ask for £44 a year, while primaries asked for £27. Nine per cent of the 1,500 parents surveyed said they were asked to contribute £100 or more to the annual school fund.

Clarissa Williams, president of the National Association of Headteachers and former headteacher of Tolworth Girls' school in Kingston-upon-Thames, says voluntary contributions enable schools to buy things without tapping into government funds.

"We used to run the school minibus, buy wheelie bins, and kit out the library with the money," she says.

All things which many of us understood were supplied out of the taxes we pay.

But in truth, huge amounts of that money is now being sent to the EU instead, since Tony Blair agreed from 2007 to increase our payments by 63%. This was despite the failure by auditors to give a clean bill of health to the EU's accounts for 14 years in a row.

Now schools are having to make up the shortfall.

Teachers threaten strike over £200m school funding cuts

Teachers are threatening to strike over plans to cut £200m from school and college budgets amid claims it will "ration" teenagers' opportunities - reports the Daily Telegraph.

They will ballot for industrial action at sixth-forms where staff face redundancies to plug the funding black hole.

The National Union of Teachers branded the cuts "an absolute disgrace" and said Labour risked leaving many young people on the "scrap heap".

It marks a significant escalation of the row over an eleventh-hour drop in funding for institutions across England, putting courses for as many as 50,000 teenagers under threat.

Last week, head teachers warned they could sue the Government's Learning and Skills Council over the episode.

Meanwhile the European Union continues to enjoy its net £6bn a year (or £115m a week) funding deal, agreed in 2005 before the economic crisis erupted.

The Government is facing the need to make major cuts in public spending to compensate for money spent on supporting banks and the economy, but has so far refused to re-open debate on the scale of cash Britain hands to the EU.

This is despite the fact that, back in November, the accuracy of the EU's accounts was seriously criticised by auditors for the 14th year in a row, with billion of pounds of EU spending once again unaccounted for.

Colleges forced to take 'drastic measures' after £60 million cut

Head teachers are considering drastic measures, such as turning down thermostats and forgoing new text books, because of a "comprehensive mismanagement" of government funds which may lead to tens of thousands of students losing college places.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a surprise £60 million cut in the budget for the education of 16 to 19 year olds in England was announced to schools last week, jeopardising the future of an estimated 35,0000 students.

This came despite a promise in early March that the money, allocated by the by the Government's Learning and Skills Council, was available to take on more students in a drive to encourage teenagers to stay in education.

Many heads recruited additional sixth-formers in response only to later be told the money was not available.

Now they say they will have to resort to cancelling school trips and building repairs among other "desperate" measures in order to make up for the shortfall.

EU 63%: teachers 2.45%

A teachers' strike set for tomorrow is set to close or partially close more than 6,000 schools in England and Wales - reports the BBC.

Warnings to parents from 88 local authorities - half of the total - show that 28% of schools are expected to face disruption from loss of lessons to complete closures.

The one-day pay strike is being staged on Thursday by members of the National Union of Teachers over a pay dispute.

The union is attacking a pay deal which represents a 2.45% rise this year with a further rise of 2.3% in 2009 and 2010, arguing that it is below inflation and is therefore an effective pay cut.

Christine Blower, the union's acting head, said: "What we're saying to the government is, if you really do value teachers, then make sure that they're paid at least at the level of inflation - which we take to be the RPI, which is 4.1%."

The offer contrasts sharply with the government's agreement to increase Britain's annual contributions to the EU by 63% - or £2.5bn net extra every year from 2007-13.

This excessive generosity was despite EU auditors remaining unable to approve the "majority" of the EU's spending - a situation that has persisted for 13 years running.

This EU pay deal was endorsed by a majority of MPs back in February. So unless the MPs responsible imagine that there is a bottomless pit of public money to plunder, none who unjustifiably voted to support splashing so much extra on the EU can complain when it emerges that there isn't enough money left to pay teachers fairly.

MPs must acknowledge the reality that if they approve an obvious waste of vast sums of public money in one area, then that decision will have consequences in other areas of public spending.

This is a simple economic reality that everyone is familiar with in their own personal lives, and which MPs must realise applies to national finances too.

MPs must take responsibility when this happens, particularly where it affects their own constituencies. Rather than (as so often) posture in support of public services facing cuts, despite having voted to waste large sums that could instead have been used to help.

Widespread disruption to schools is likely in a number of both inner city and rural areas. Leeds, Cardiff, Suffolk and Cumbria all look likely to have many schools shut or partially closed.

The £230m primary schools sell-off

Almost 300 primary school sites have been sold off in the past decade as local councils seek to raise funds, according to a More4 News/Channel 4 News online survey.

The sales have generated £230m for authorities, as councils struggle to meet government funding demands and combat falling school rolls.

The research shows a further 188 primary schools sites are earmarked for future sale.

Critics say the sell-offs are a 'missed opportunity' to improve educational standards, and could leave authorities short of classrooms in the future.

Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: "The findings both surprise and depress me. At the moment we still have extremely large class sizes all over England and Wales, and because of these sell-offs we will find ourselves with insufficient classroom capacity further down the road.

"Whilst the pupil population might be decreasing at the moment this was the ideal opportunity to reduce class sizes and keep spending on education at the same level so that we can begin to fulfil Gordon Brown's promise that state school children will be funded to the same level as those in the independent sector."

Government funds schools according to how many places they have, rather than the actual number of pupils. It urges authorities to close schools with too few children, as they are seen as an ineffective use of resources.

The survey found that the council which received the most for primary school sales in the past decade was Oxfordshire, whose sell-off programme led to £39.8m being brought in from sales.

Others in the top 10 included: Hertfordshire at £25.6m, Cambridgeshire at £19.7, West Sussex at £15.8m, Havering at £15.4m and Leeds at £13.7m.

Over Easter, Cumbria County Council became the latest authority to indicate it was going to close primary schools under a reorganisation programme.

Councils pledge to put the money raised from primary school sales back into education funding, and many new schools and facilities have been built using the revenue.

However, professor Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, warned that pledges on education spending have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

He said: "You have to take councils at face value when they say they will be ring-fencing funds. But ring-fencing doesn't necessarily mean extra spending on education."

Overall, 113 councils responded to questions filed by Channel 4 news online under Freedom of Information rules, to show that 298 primary school sites had been sold off in the past decade for a total of £236,337,577.

Norfolk: Cash cuts for children’s services

Key services for children and young people in Norfolk could be under threat due to painful cuts being considered in order to fill a predicted £11m black hole in funding - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Dozens of jobs face the axe over the next three years as financial experts try to make ends meet. And Norfolk's 450 schools face having to meet the bills for numerous services that have until now been provided free.

The expected cash crisis comes at a troubled time for the county, as growing numbers of schools are being judged "not good enough" by Ofsted inspectors, the numbers of children in care continue to spiral and GCSE achievement is falling further behind the national average.

Lisa Christensen, director of children's services, pledged that these three key areas would not be touched by any cuts. But they are putting pressure on the children's services department, and senior officers are being urged to come up with ways to save money through "efficiency savings".

The flurry of activity has come amid predictions that the government's 2008/9 settlement would only amount to a 2.3% increase in funds for Norfolk. A high-profile delegation has been to London from Norfolk to put pressure on the government in a bid to secure more money before the final amount is announced.

But at the moment all heads of department are working on the basis of the 2.3% rise, which barely covers the cost of inflation in key areas like transport and the price of providing care.

Rosalie Monbiot, cabinet member for children's services, admitted she was "frustrated" at the prospect of another tight financial settlement.

She said: "We deliver some marvellous services in Norfolk. If the worst comes to the worst we will be reduced to only delivering statutory services and that will not be of benefit to the children of the county. We don't have many areas where we can make the savings."

The possible cuts are outlined in a report to Wednesday's review panel.

It includes a proposal to save more than £2m in staffing costs over three years - the equivalent of at least 60 people losing their jobs or not being replaced. Other suggestions include saving £1m on special educational needs transport by more strictly enforcing the rules.

Suffolk: Student bus cut fears

Students in Suffolk could become the latest victims of budget cuts after it emerged that secret discussions to cut school transport subsidies for 16 to 18-year-olds are under way - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

About a quarter of the 10,345 students of that age group in education in the county are likely to be left forking out hundreds of pounds in travel every year if the policy gets the go-ahead.

Currently, 2,200 students across Suffolk pay about £300 a year for school transport, with the remaining £300 being met by Suffolk County Council, but as part of ongoing budget cuts the council is trying to reduce its £16m school transport budget.

Sources have revealed "substantial" further savings need to be made and council chiefs are holding confidential meetings to discuss the possibility of axing post-16 travel subsidies.

Axing subsidies could save in excess of £600,000, with teenagers and parents footing the bill.

The Labour group has slammed the "tax on A-levels".

Graham Manuel, Labour's roads and transport spokesman, said: "Every parent wants their children to have the opportunity to study hard and get on in life."

A council spokesman said: "In February we reviewed home-to-school transport as part of the budget process. A policy development panel was set up to look at all aspects of the transport service provided to pupils, particularly areas of expenditure due to budget restraints. The findings will be going to cabinet in April 2008."

'Good schools' to hand back £85m savings

Good schools could be forced to hand back thousands of pounds every year under a new Government "tax" on prudent head teachers, the Daily Telegraph reports today.

For the sake of grabbing back an amount of money equivalent to less than a week of what the government plans to hand to the audit-failing EU under the new EU budget deal, head teachers at some of the best-performing state schools in the country may be forced to axe staff or raid library budgets to finance improvements to facilities rather than tapping into their savings.

The little-noticed move could affect as many as 20,000 primary, secondary and special schools and would require any school with extra money at the end of the year to hand a share back to local authorities.

Schools are set to lose 5% of outstanding balances, even if it has been set aside to fund new buildings, playground improvements, sports facilities or drama studios.

Mick Brookes, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said "Schools are going to have to find that five per cent additional money from somewhere else.

''This includes the money schools use to buy books for the children, teaching materials and sports equipment.

"If schools have to give back £25,000 or more, it could mean losing a teacher."

Pauline Cox, the head teacher at Tiffin Girls' Grammar School, Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, which came top in the country in one GCSE league table this summer, said: "We have a 1950s school which is falling to pieces and needs repairs, which cost money.

''We already have to scrimp and save to do this, and now whatever we manage to pull together for the next year will be taxed. I feel robbed. The fury among teachers is remarkable."

In a Parliamentary answer to the Liberal Democrats, the Government admitted that £988 million of last year's surplus – almost 63% of the total – had been "committed for specific purposes", which may include buildings.

David Laws, the Liberal Democrat children's spokesman, said: "This Government plan is a tax on good schools. It is taking from the prudent head teachers that are about to fund major capital projects and giving to less prudent ones and those who have already spent their money."

Andrew Baker, the head of Westcliff High School for Boys, Essex, said: "I have never heard a proposal that is so devious and unprincipled as this.

''It will encourage schools to make irresponsible expenditure to avoid the taxman."

Terry Molloy, the head of Claremont High School, Brent, north London, said: "This money is meant for my children, to make their education better. Why should they be punished like this?"

Under the new EU budget deal, Britain is set to pay the audit-failing EU £6bn (net) a year - that's £115m every week until 2013.

This deal is expected to come before MPs for approval sometime in the next session of Parliament, starting next month.

Can MPs really justify voting billions of pounds extra a year to such a wasteful organisation as the EU, while the government has to resort to clawing back fractions of that amount from prudent schools seeking to improve their facilities?

Has the EU now usurped 'Education, Education, Education'? MPs will confirm their real priorities with their votes on the European Communities (Finance) Bill.

Oldham: Council tax fears spark cutbacks

A local authority has drawn up plans to cut dozens of jobs and slash services to avoid a council tax hike of more than 20% - reports the Manchester Evening News.

Council chiefs in Oldham have revealed they would face a staggering black hole of £13.6m in their accounts for 2008/9 - even if they repeated last year's tax rise of 4.9%.

To close the gap they would need to increase council tax by around 21%.

Instead they have drafted a report listing cost-cutting measures that would total £17.15m. They include the loss of 32 jobs and the closure of five lifelong learning centres.

Other proposed savings include reducing agency costs, more efficient purchases of goods and services, and a review of the council's property holdings.

These options will now go out to consultation before final decisions are taken in February.

Finance chiefs have highlighted inflation and a loss of external funding as major reasons behind the shortfall.

They added that the decision to invest in the Building Schools for the Future programme, where a £1m investment was required to secure more than £200m of external funding, provided further pressure.

David Jones, the Labour group and council leader, said: "Our finance team forecast the pressures we would face next year at a very early stage, giving us plenty of time to develop sensible solutions.

"Oldham is way ahead of many other local authorities in developing options early."

But Coun Howard Sykes, Lib Dem opposition leader, criticised the council and said the report was `unclear'.

He said: "It is very difficult to believe that they can carve this much out of the budget without it affecting services. I think they are being forced to look under the rug. I don't know exactly what they mean in the report but we will be tracking it closely and find out.

"Mike Williamson, of the GMB Union, agreed. He accused the council of using `gobbledygook' and said there would be `an obvious impact on services and jobs'.

OECD: UK trails Slovenia in class sizes

Class sizes in Britain are among the highest in the developed world, reports the Daily Telegraph today.

An international study published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed that only six other countries - Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Brazil, Chile and Israel - have more children in primary school lessons

Teachers criticised the findings and challenged Gordon Brown to deliver on his pledge to match budgets in state schools to those in the private sector.

Parents claimed that large classes were to blame for thousands of children leaving primary school unable to read or write properly.

The annual study – Education at a Glance – said that 25.8 pupils aged five to 11 shared the average lesson in 2005, and this was "large by international standards". It put Britain behind countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, Mexico and Slovenia in a league table of 29 nations.

Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "While Britain has now achieved the average spent on education by industrialised countries there is much more to do.

"I look to the fulfilling of the Prime Minister's commitment to match public with private spending on education. State school class sizes must be brought down."

Primary school pupils miss all government targets

Four out of ten pupils could not read, write and add up properly by the time they left primary school this summer, the Government admitted yesterday.

The Times reports that national curriculum results for this age group improved slightly on last year, but the figures showed that 166,500 pupils did not meet the standard expected in writing, 67,000 failed to make it in reading, 54,000 could not reach it in science and 105,000 could not add up to the same level.

Of the 600,000 11-year-olds who took tests this summer, 80% made the grade in English, 84% in reading, 77% in maths and 88% in science. However, the figures also showed that the Government had missed its targets in all areas and that only 60% of the “Blair generation” of primary school pupils had met the expected level in all subjects, including reading, writing, maths and science.

Lord Adonis, the schools minister, said that more money will be spent on classroom assistants, one-to-one tuition, intensive reading and maths catch-up programmes and on better training for teachers.

There are few more important uses for public money than giving children the best start in life.

But hundreds of thousands of children are still being failed, while the government plans to lavish billions of pounds extra a year on the audit-failing EU.

By Lord Adonis's own admission, not enough money has been invested in classroom assistants, teacher training and extra tuition programmes.

Could it have been more, if so much money didn't have to be committed to the wasteful EU?

MPs will decide where the government's spending priorities should more properly lie, when they get to vote on the EU budget deal ... and answer for their choice to parents in their constituencies, come the next election.

Ealing: 15 teachers lose jobs in cuts

More news of cuts to public services in Ealing that should give Ealing's MPs pause for thought about whether they can afford to approve the 60% hike in payments to the audit-failing EU - and certainly whether local voters will approve of such a choice, come the next election.

The Ealing Gazette reports today that 15 teachers at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College are losing their jobs as a result of a government cut of 7% - equating to £2m - from the college's budget for adult education services.

The cuts are thought to be the "tip of the iceberg", with more following before September.

The college has campuses in Barons Court and Ealing, and is having to increase class sizes and merge some services as a result.

Amarjit Busi, deputy principal of the college said: "We've lost £2m of public funding support at the same time we're being told to direct money away from lower-level courses."

"It's going to affect the most vulnerable and poorest parts of the community."

Chemistry labs 'need £2bn boost'

A small report in the Daily Telegraph today says that plans to upgrade chemistry laboratories in schools will fall a quarter of a century behind a government target unless extra money is earmarked.

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, almost £2 billion is needed to achieve the right standard and keep the country competitive.

Richard Pike, the RSC chief executive said, "Without something being done to address this slippage, Britain could drift to the margins of world science as potential young talent goes unexploited."

MPs intending to vote three times this amount to be paid to the EU every year until 2013 need to decide who they are elected to represent. Co-operating with other European countries and supporting economic development abroad does not need a vast central EU budget - especially one that auditors cannot sign off as accurate, and which is beset by reports of waste, maladministration and fraud.

Student debt doubles as top-up fees hit poorest

Student debt has doubled over the last six years and students from poorer families are suffering most, according to government research published yesterday.

The Guardian says that final year students averaged £7,918 debt at the end of their course and students from poor homes averaged £9,842, according to the survey of 3,700 undergraduates and trainee teachers at 88 universities and colleges in England and Wales.

Top-up fees were considered a key factor, and increasing numbers need help from their families. From this autumn students will be charged £3,000 a year, more than double what most pay now.

It was always going to be the case that the promised extra funding for universities from the introduction of tuition fees could only be delivered by rapidly hiking the cost to students from the initial level of £1,000 a year.

More public money could be invested in supporting students from poorer backgrounds and basing access to higher education more on academic ability if we weren't wasting so much cash by handing it to the EU.

Cleethorpes: Parents to fight school closures

Parents in North East Lincolnshire are preparing to fight plans to close primary schools in the region - reports the BBC.

Councillors say up to five schools must close to reduce 3,500 surplus places - a figure which could rise to 4,500 by 2009 unless action is taken.

Elliston and Bursar in Cleethorpes, and Littlecoates in Grimsby, are earmarked for closure.

Eastfield and Ravendale in Immingham are also under threat.

Parents of Bursar pupils are planning a protest at Grimsby Town Hall on Monday.

In addition to the closures, other schools in the region could be merged under the plans, which will be discussed by the council cabinet on Monday.

Although there will be a public consultation, parents are angry by the timing of the announcement.

Father-of-three Mark Baxter, who has two children at Bursar, told BBC News: "They have just gone ahead with this and dropped it on us.

"We want to make them aware that we plan to highlight the fact we don't want this school to close and that we are going to fight it."

Meanwhile, parents with children at Elliston Infants School are also meeting to form an action group.