TWO National Union of Teachers (NUT)/YouGov polls of parents and teachers reveal the growing crisis in schools, the NUT said yesterday.
The polls found:
• Parents put education at the heart of the General Election. More than two in five (43%) parents with children aged 4-18 consider education and school funding as an important issue in deciding how they’ll vote.
• 60% of teachers report increased class sizes since the last General Election in 2015.
• Over a third of teachers (36%) report that teacher numbers have decreased at their school in the last two years.
• Over 3.5 million watched the NUT campaign video in just five days.
The NUT said: ‘The Conservative government has cut school funding by £2.8 billion since 2015. According to an analysis by the School Cuts website, without substantial additional funding 93% of schools will experience a per-pupil funding cut by 2021/22.
‘Every parent, teacher and school staff member knows the debilitating effect a chronic lack of money has for the quality and type of education schools can give to children and young people. Without sufficient funds, schools will be forced to increase class sizes, drop subjects from the curriculum, or cut staff numbers. Schools are cutting spending on children with special educational needs. Buildings are going unrepaired and begging letters to parents for money are all too common practice.’
The two NUT-commissioned polls by YouGov – of 1,012 parents with school-aged children, and 755 teachers, conducted separately in May 2017 – demonstrate that the wide concern about school cuts is both real and justified. The parents’ poll sought to identify their level of concern about education in the run-up to the General Election, and questions surrounding current funding.
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: ‘Parents and teachers are already seeing the devastating effects of underfunding and the largest school cuts for a generation.’
Unison also published a survey of school staff yesterday. Unison general secretary Dave Prentis warned: ‘Cuts to these support roles could lead to schools breaching the law or allowing people who could be a risk to children’s safety to slip through the net – putting our young people in real danger. If these jobs go, everyone – heads, teachers, pupils and parents – would notice the difference.
These employees play a vital role keeping children safe, reassuring parents and ensuring the smooth and cost-effective running of schools. Without them, already overstretched teachers and teaching assistants could be pulled out of classrooms.
‘It’s time for school cutbacks to stop. Attacks on education funding are having a devastating impact on children’s education. With money so tight, schools are having to slash the amount they spend on essentials likes books and computers, which has a powerful and long-lasting impact on educational attainment.
‘Next week the country has a choice between school cuts under the Tories and investment in our children’s education under Labour – I know what choice I’ll be making, and which is better for our schools, our children and the future of our country.’
