South Glos has the lowest per pupil funding in the country. Let that sink in a moment.
On the 19th March I posed a question on BBC Radio Bristol asking the South Gloucestershire Council Leader Toby Savage why schools in our area are the most underfunded in England, and why Bristol pupils are worth more than those here.
His was the classic non-answer we’ve come to expect of politicians – he “thinks” the reason is that we are not “deprived enough” and not “rural enough.” Why does the leader of the council not have clarity on this?
This interview created more questions regarding why £14 million was suddenly given to Marlwood and Castle school after their appearance on the BBC TV show “School”. Considering he said there wasn’t a problem before, where did this £14 million suddenly come from, and why did it take this long to be invested?
This is a huge concern for parents and teachers in South Gloucestershire who have been holding meetings about how to tackle the funding crisis, but why should they have to hold these meetings? Why are we having to donate books, equipment and money to keep our schools running? Our council needs to do more!
Over the last few weeks I have had teachers show me photos of ceilings falling down in classrooms and water damage to books and paperwork and exasperated parents asking me what to do next.
How are we expected to thrive, or even survive outside of the EU in the future when we are writing off a lost generation through funding cuts? These questions have been pressed to our politicians again and again and we still haven’t seen any results. A change is needed in South Gloucestershire sooner rather than later – before we end up even more behind the rest of the country.
Jack Cox
