Category Archives: Education (local)

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17 Sep 2018

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Austerity cuts, Education (local)

“Sixth formers most affected by education cuts, says think-tank”

“The education funding squeeze for 16 to 18 year olds in England is “clear and worrying”, a think-tank report has said.

Funding per student in school sixth forms has fallen by 21% since its peak in 2010-11, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The IFS said that the “severe squeeze” on school spending, which has seen spending per pupil fall by 8% between 2009-10 and 2017-18, has been driven by a 55% cut to local authority spending on services.

The report, out today, which was funded by charitable trust the Nuffield Foundation, said that school sixth forms have borne the brunt of budget cuts at 21% per student while further education and sixth-form college funding per student has fallen by about 8% since 2010-11.

By 2019-20, funding per young person in further education will be at about the same level as in 2006-7 – only 10% higher than it was thirty years earlier in 1989-90, according to the IFS.

Total funding for adult education and apprenticeships has fallen by 45% since 2009-10.

Tim Gardham, chief executive of the Nuffield Foundation, said: “The fall in further education spending is clear and worrying.

“The IFS analysis questions the capacity of the system to successfully deliver the reforms currently underway without additional funding.

“Neglect in investment in one educational stage has knock-on effects for others, from the point of view of the individual student and the education system as a whole.”

Research by the think-tank also showed a large increase in spending on early years education – spending on three- and four-year-old entitlement to early education – has risen from “almost nothing” in early 1990s to around £3bn in 2017-18.

But, early years spending in other areas fallen, including a 13% drop in childcare subsidies between 2009-10 and 2017-18 and a 67% reduction in spending on children’s Sure Start centres. …”

https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2018/09/sixth-formers-most-affected-education-cuts-says-think-tank

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11 Sep 2018

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Accountability, Corruption, Developers/ Development, Education (local), Inequality, Scrutiny

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Failing academies cannot return to local authority control

Not only can failing academies not be returned to local authority control, they also retain control of the land that the failing schools occupy …. aaah, Owl begins to see a loophole here …

“… parents are asking why, when a school is failed by multi-academy trusts, can it not go back to local authority supervision? Just as with other botched privatisations, schools should have the opportunity to go back to the public sector. This leads us to the biggest part of the scandal – currently there is no mechanism to allow academies to go back to being community schools under the supervision of local authorities. Academisation is irreversible.

One school in Sussex pushed the education secretary, Damian Hinds, for an answer. The Department for Education didn’t give an inch – apparently the government is not considering returning any academies to local authority control because academisation has been a huge success with more children getting a good education as a consequence. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/11/academies-parents-tories-labour

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9 Sep 2018

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Accountability, Education (local), Privatisation

“Fat cat bosses were paid more than £1million from ‘taxpayers cash and student debt’ to run luxury £559 per week student halls complete with posh kitchens, gyms and cinemas”

“Three fatcat bosses were paid more than £1million each by a firm last year to run student halls of residence, figures show.

Unite Students, the country’s largest student accommodation provider, paid £3.9million in total to the trio in salary, benefits and bonuses.

The highest paid was chief executive Richard Smith, who received £1.4million – more than 50 times the average UK salary. This included £437,167 in wages, an annual bonus of £401,407, pension benefit of £84,506 and £476,619 via a long-term incentive plan. …

The priciest of these halls were in London, where private firm CRM Students was charging £559 per week for 51 weeks at its Canto Court site – a total of £28,500 a year – for King’s College students.

Accommodation in Cardiff was offered for £9,639 over 51 weeks which had a shared cinema, gym, and music practice room – again courtesy of CRM Students.

And those at Bristol can pay £14,280 for a studio in Brunel House via Unite Students.

While most private halls are not officially affiliated to universities, they target students who have missed out on traditional campus ‘digs’ – often because they went through clearing.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6148961/Fat-cat-bosses-paid-1million-taxpayers-cash-student-debt.html

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4 Sep 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality

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Schools cutting hours – some open only four-and-a-half days a week

… “Many have been left with no choice but to bring in a 4.5-day week for kids as they cannot staff classrooms properly.

The measures come as a Mirror ­investigation found schools are so strapped for cash many special needs pupils are not getting support as heads have had to axe teaching assistants, leading to fears of behavioural problems.

That is coupled with a lack of basic ­equipment, growing class sizes, no cash to repair leaky buildings, staff shortages and cancelled school trips.

At least 24 schools across the land, including 14 in Birmingham alone, have ditched lessons on Friday afternoons. And more than 200 other heads have warned they are considering doing the same. …

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thousands-children-face-shorter-week-13193641

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2 Sep 2018

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Accountability, Education (local)

Arms manufacturers teach children as young as 4 about their weapons

“Arms manufacturers are spending millions of pounds a year promoting their brands in Britain’s schools, the Observer has learned.

The companies, which between them have sold tens of billions of pounds of weapons to overseas governments, including those with poor human rights records, sponsor a series of school events at which their brands are prominently on display. In addition, they issue teaching materials for use in classrooms that promote the defence sector, sponsor competitions and award prizes.

One company even deployed a high-profile children’s television presenter to promote its activities in a school, while another developed a missile simulator for pupils to “play with”. Critics accuse the companies of trying to “normalise their appalling business” in the minds of the young, but the body representing the defence sector says such an approach is vital if the UK is to produce a future generation of engineers.

“When these companies are promoting themselves to children they are not talking about the deadly impact their weapons are having,” said Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade. “Many of these companies have profited from war and fuelled atrocities around the world. Schools are vital to our society and should never be used as commercial vehicles for arms companies. It is time for arms companies to be kicked out of the classroom.”

BAE Systems, Europe’s largest arms company whose fighter jets are currently being used by Saudi forces in Yemen – where there have been large numbers of strikes on civilian buildings – visited 420 schools across the UK last year and prepared lesson plans for children as young as seven.

The company promotes its roadshows on Twitter and other social media. One event included an appearance by CBeebies television presenter Maddie Moate who, according to BAE, was there to “join in the fun and take a few ‘selfies’ for her own personal collection”.

In an online presentation, BAE states that it spends tens of millions of pounds a year on reaching pupils as young as four. Among worksheets issued to schoolchildren were some encouraging them to think about how BAE’s special camouflage system could have “significant advantages on the battlefield” by allowing tanks to become invisible to hostile thermal imaging systems.

Another sheet encourages pupils to look at the company’s past initiatives to find out “more about how shapes of aeroplanes, ships, submarines and tanks have changed over the years”. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/01/arms-industry-spending-millions-normalise-weapons-in-schools

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29 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Education (local), Environment (local), Greater Exeter, Growth Strategy, Philip Skinner, Planning System, Scrutiny, Sustainability

Greater Exeter Strategic Plan: consultation about consultation and Skinner has a pet project other councils are ignoring

Correctiin: headline changed from Diviani to Skinner as it is assumed it is new Deputy Leader who wants a sports venue. Well, he is known to be a rugby fan!

“The vision is about to start to decide specific issues in October, with the aim to prepare a draft plan for consultation in the summer of 2019 after the local elections.” …

For the GESP area, 2,600 homes a year are needed, meaning over the 20 years of the plan to 2040, around 57,200 new homes will be built. …

[Here follows a masterpiece of shooting down Diviani’s idea for a “major sporting venue” ncely!]

“In previous discussions regarding the GESP, the Deputy Leader of East Devon District Council has put forward the idea of developing a regionally or nationally significant sports arena and concert venue within the GESP area.

The consultation does not specifically refer to this concept as work in understanding the need for such a facility and how it could be delivered are at an early stage as it is focusesd at high level issues and does not talk in any detail about specific proposals.

It is however considered that the consultation asks about public aspirations for the delivery of infrastructure thus enabling respondents to raise the opportunity for such a facility and make suggestions for what it would be. …”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/could-57000-new-homes-exeter-1948541

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26 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Air pollution, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Health and Social Care (local), Inequality

Local Government News e-bulletin

Owl says: So much work so little money.

“More than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for social care
A survey by the LGA has found that more than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for adult social care. The poll of 150 MPs found that 84 per cent wanted extra funds for adult social care. The extra funding was backed by 79 per cent of Conservative MPs and 95 per cent of Labour MPs, while 76 per cent of peers called for extra funds. The LGA said extra funds were needed to rescue care services for older and disabled people from collapse. It warns there is a £3.5 billion funding gap facing adult social care by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Councils, care workers, health professionals and now even MPs and Peers agree that social care funding to councils must be increased. Work to find a long-term funding solution for adult social care and support has been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for the past two decades and has brought these services to breaking point. The Government cannot duck this issue any longer. It must make genuinely new resources available urgently to plug the short-term funding gap of £3.5 billion as well as set out its plans to secure the longer-term future.” Cllr Seccombe also called for a nationwide public debate about the future of care for all adults ahead of the Government’s green paper.
Sunday Telegraph p8

Deferred Payment Agreements
Around 4,800 homes have been entered into Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs) to pay for their owners’ care fees, according to a Freedom of Information Act survey. It also found 14 councils have signed more than 100 DPAs in two years. An LGA spokesperson said: “We cannot duck this issue (of how to fund adult social care) any longer, which is why, following the Government’s postponement of its long-awaited green paper on adult social care, the LGA has published its own.”
Express p2

Children’s Commissioner calls for end to ‘battery-hen’ school holidays
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, says urgent action is needed to stop children leading a “battery hen existence” during the school holidays that is damaging their mental health, contributing to violence and ensuring they return to school in worse health than when they left. She called for radical measures to restore the importance of play, such as overhauling play areas and parks.
Observer p1

School cash drive saves £100m
The Department for Education’s School Resource Management Strategy will reveal £106 million was saved in 2016/17 on equipment costs in schools. In one case, savings included £40,000 worth of unused equipment in a single school, which will be sold off.
Express p2

City mayors in joint call for urgent action to tackle air pollution
A total of 17 mayors and civic leaders have signed a letter calling on Theresa May to take immediate action to fight air pollution, which scientists estimate causes at least 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK. They say the Government should pass a stringent clean air act that will give local authorities powers to regulate emissions such as those produced by taxis in cities.
Observer p11

Cuts in projects for migrants
A new study by the Institute for Public Policy Research says cuts to key programmes have undermined efforts to help migrants settle in communities. It found funding for integration efforts, aimed at local authorities with high levels of migration, had dropped by almost a third. There was also evidence that councils with the highest levels of migration had been disadvantaged the most, as their funding had not kept pace with population growth.
Observer p20

Bus companies betray our ailing high streets
Bus operators have been accused of making the high street crisis worse by reducing services into town and city centres across the UK. Councils and private contractors have blamed gridlocked roads and a reduction in passengers heading into high streets for running fewer buses on certain routes.
Express p10

Lib Dem leader prepares to quit
Sir Vince Cable is set to stand down as the Liberal Democrat leader before the next general election. He will announce he wants a change to party rules in an attempt to create a mass membership movement and allow a non-MP to take charge.
Sunday Times p1, Mail on Sunday p2, Sky News Online

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24 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality

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Devon primary classes – more than 8,000 pupils being taught in 30+ classes

“The number of primary school children in Devon being taught in class sizes of more than 30 pupils has now exceeded more than 8,000.

According to latest figures from the Department for Education, 1,308 more primary pupils were being taught in large classes in January 2018 than at the same time the previous year.

It means 8,072 children are now being taught in classes of more than 30, which is the equivalent of one in seven pupils in Devon. … “

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/school-class-sizes-just-keep-1821453

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22 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Education (local), Privatisation

The devasting failure of academy schools

What happens when academy schools fail … not a lot.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jul/22/academy-schools-scandal-failing-trusts

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18 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality, Sleaze

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When losing your job can be a money-spinner!

“A higher education boss was handed more than £500,000 in a “golden goodbye” pay package after the government scrapped her organisation.

Professor Madeleine Atkins, ex-chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), secured a 96% increase on her annual pay deal in the body’s final 12 months, accounts published this week show.

The HEFCE was wound up by the Department for Education and replaced by the Office for Students and Research England in April.

Atkins, who was appointed to HEFCE for a five-year term in 2014, had a final remuneration package worth £554,648 once bonuses, pension payments and other benefits were counted. Salary accounted for £528,891 of the total.

Her previous year’s total remuneration was £282,354, of which salary comprised £263,865.

Atkins begins a new role as president of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, in October. …”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/990416/housing-crisis-local-government-association-empty-dwellings-bill

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11 Jul 2018

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Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality, Sleaze

Education – what is it for? The perils of a target/tick box culture – children as “collateral damage”

“An independent inquiry into a top grammar school, which was revealed by a Guardian investigation to be forcing out pupils who were unlikely to get top grades at A-level, has delivered a damning report accusing the school of illegally treating its students as “collateral damage” in the pursuit of its own interests.

The 150-page report into events last summer at St Olave’s, a selective boys school in Orpington, south-east London, called for a root and branch makeover at the school after a council investigation exposed multiple cases of maladministration and scenes of distressed pupils contemplating suicide after being pushed out of the school midway through the sixth form.

One member of staff told the inquiry that a student was so fearful of telling his parents that he could not continue at St Olave’s “that he might as well kill himself” while another on the phone to his parents said “they just want to be rid of me, they just want me gone”.

Other pupils in extremely vulnerable situations were told no exceptions could be made to the strict academic requirement of three Bs to progress into the final year of sixth form.

In one case a student who scored all As and A*s at GCSEs and was heading for medical school was refused any leniency despite being diagnosed with depression triggered by a family suicide.

The report, commissioned by Bromley council, challenged the pursuit of academic excellence at all costs. “A school has the responsibility to do its best by all of the pupils,” the report said, adding that by excluding students, the school had put the institution above the pupils.

“Parents of the pupils affected were right to say their children were being treated as collateral damage. It should not have happened.” …..

The investigation also criticised the school’s leadership for the claims of financial “doom and gloom” to justify cutting staff, cancelling courses and putting off urgent repairs. In fact, the school recorded annual surpluses and built up £2m in unrestricted funds in its bank accounts.

Parents were urged to donate £50 a month to the school by direct debit. The school also raised £35,000 a year in selling mock entrance tests to the families of applicants to the grammar school, and retained hardship funds for disadvantaged pupils, worth more than £50,000 that went unspent.”

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jul/10/london-grammar-school-st-olavest-eated-students-like-collateral-damage

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6 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality, Privatisation

“Councils better at turning around failing schools than academy chains, report says”

” … the report, which looks at 429 council-run schools rated as inadequate in 2013, found that 115 (75 per cent) of 152 schools that stayed with the council became good or outstanding by 2017. …

Meanwhile, only 92 (59 per cent) of the 155 schools that had been inspected since becoming sponsored academies saw their Ofsted ratings improve to good or outstanding during that period. …”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/councils-academy-chains-failing-schools-inadequate-ofsted-lga-a8432626.html

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4 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC, Education (local), Inequality

Devon schools lose more than 700 teachers and teaching assistants in one year

“In just one year, Devon’s schools have lost more than 700 teachers and teaching assistants.

The worrying figures, revealed in an annual school workforce census published by the government this week?, have been blamed on government cuts by unions.

The data has shown in the Devon County Council authority area there were 11,599 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the county’s schools at the end of last year – compared to 12,229 just a year before, meaning schools lost 630 teachers.

The biggest cut was in teaching assistants, with FTE numbers falling by more than 300 from 3,623 to 3,322.

The number of FTE classroom teachers was down by 170, while the number of all teachers – including those in leadership roles – was down by 204. Support and auxiliary staff accounted for most of the rest of the fall. …

The census shows that as a result of the loss of staff – and ever-growing pupil numbers – the pupil: teacher ratio in Devon grew from 17.3 pupils for each teacher in 2016 to 18.2 pupils for each teacher by the end of 2017. …”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/shocking-number-teachers-devon-lost-1746459

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3 Jul 2018

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Accountability, Education (local), Inequality

“A market-led school system has put finances before the needs of pupils’ “

“The economic and regulatory incentives facing state schools in England are increasingly in tension with an inclusive, broad and balanced education for pupils.

Since 2010 the government has used the language of a “self-improving school-led system” to characterise its reforms, arguing that these are “moving control to the frontline”. Our research shows that this is a partial and idealised account: while some higher-performing schools are benefiting, the system as a whole is becoming more fragmented and less equitable.

Schools have been strongly encouraged (and sometimes forced) to become academies, which are independent of local government, on the premise that they will be freed from red tape.

Yet schools and academies have faced greater regulation through national accountability, which has become more punitive. One bad Ofsted report and a school can be removed from its local governing body and handed to a multi-academy trust (MAT) – after which the school ceases to exist as a legal entity.

Fear of such a takeover and the wider consequences of being downgraded by Ofsted has led many schools to focus relentlessly on national test outcomes, to constrain teacher judgment and to narrow their curriculum. These pressures have combined with a chaotic process of centralisation. Attempting to manage thousands of academies directly from Whitehall, the government has created new regional commissioner roles, but their work can be in tension with both Ofsted and local authorities. This has left schools with minimal support as they navigate an endless churn of new policies.

Schools have also faced stronger incentives to compete for students and the funding that is linked to them. New “providers” have been encouraged to run academies and free schools on the premise they will pressure existing schools to improve. Yet school leaders can feel obliged to put the market position of their school above all else, even if this means making decisions that contradict their professional values.

We found that the school system has become more socially stratified since 2010, with schools judged by Ofsted to be “outstanding” admitting fewer children eligible for free school meals, while schools judged “requires improvement” or “inadequate” have higher concentrations of these children than previously……”

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/30/market-led-education-system-puts-finances-before-pupils

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30 Jun 2018

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Accountability, Education (local), Inequality, Sleaze

“Coalition education reforms ‘fuelled inequality in schools’ “

“Sweeping education reforms appear to be fuelling inequality in the schools system, according to a major analysis that shows high-performing and improving schools are accepting fewer children from poor backgrounds.

In a stark assessment of the impact of controversial measures introduced since 2010, the study warns that an original pledge to set schools free and give them more power has actually led to a system that is causing high levels of stress among teachers.

It finds the system is now pushing schools and their heads to prioritise “the interests of the school over the interests of groups of, usually more vulnerable, children”. Some schools were found to be engaged in “aggressive marketing campaigns and ‘cream skimming’ aimed at recruiting particular types of students”. …

… It warns that the system in which the involvement of councils has been stripped back, with fellow schools encouraged to help their struggling counterparts, is actually seeing the creation of a market for advice – with schools charging for their expertise on how to improve.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, the vast majority of pupils are in a good or outstanding school, 1.9 million more than in 2010, and an increase from 66% to 86% over that time.

“And thanks to our reforms schools that aren’t delivering for young people are being turned around, with 65 per cent of schools made into a sponsored academy seeing improvement from inadequate to good or outstanding. But there is always more to do, which is why we are investing £23bn by 2020 to create more good school places and we are targeting £72m at the areas that need it most to help improve prospects and opportunities for some of the most disadvantaged young people.”

The findings form part of a state-of-the-nation study of England’s education system, drawn up by academics at the UCL Institute of Education over four years, which will be published on Tuesday. It includes the examination of Ofsted data over a decade, a statistical analysis of the impact of multi-academy trusts (MATs), 47 detailed school case studies and a survey of almost 700 school leaders.

The reforms were largely implemented under the coalition government and championed by Michael Gove as education secretary. A plan to force all English schools to become academies was abandoned in 2016 after a backlash among Tory MPs.

The study concludes that any new autonomy handed to schools had been “more than balanced” by testing and inspections that had ensured the state remains in control from a distance. The drive to turn schools into academies, the key part of reforms since 2010, is described as “uneven and often fraught”.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/30/coalition-education-reform-academies-fuelling-inequality

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27 Jun 2018

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Austerity cuts, Education (local)

Textbooks or tanks?

“Trade unions have said they estimate an additional £2.7bn a year is needed to take funding per pupil back to the level of 2015-16.

The NHS has been given a financial settlement, and there has been noisy lobbying within government for more defence spending.

Perhaps Mr Hinds had in mind the reproach from Treasury Minister Liz Truss to colleagues demanding extra money.

The Conservative chair of the committee, Robert Halfon, told the BBC: “After we got a wonderful settlement for the NHS, I believe we also need a ten-year plan for education and a five-year funding settlement too.”

Three teaching unions, the GMB, Unison and Unite have claimed the government is breaking a promise to maintain funding at the same level per pupil, after rising costs are taken into account.

They argue schools have been allocated an average of £4,630 per pupil, which is roughly £59 less in real terms than 2015-16.

The government says these calculations omit a large part of overall education spending, the central schools services block, which funds support services for schools.

“The claim that real terms per pupil funding has decreased in the last year is completely false,” a spokesperson for the Department for Education said.
“These figures fail to take into account that in 2018-19, we have provided an additional £450m of funding – making this comparison factually incorrect.”

Independent economists might think the government has a point, as it has previously been included in calculations.

Luke Sibieta, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “Changes were made to the school funding system for 2018-19 and funding for central services was separated out. Previously it was part of overall school funding.”

Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “It is no wonder that schools are increasingly struggling to provide pupils with basic essentials and having to ask parents to fill the gap.” …

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44633831

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19 Jun 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local)

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Children pay a terrible price for austerity cuts – a shaming report

“More than 40% of parents with primary school children have had to forgo basic hygiene or cleaning products because they cannot afford them, according to a study.

A survey of 2,000 parents by charity In Kind Direct also found some 18% admitted their child wears the same underwear for at least two days in a row.

The charity, which was founded by the Prince of Wales, said teachers are seeing soaring numbers of young children who turn up to school unwashed and in dirty clothes.

Almost half (47%) of 100 primary school teachers polled said children have attended class without brushing their teeth, while nearly two thirds (63%) have seen youngsters in unclean clothes. More than a third (36%) said they have provided toothpaste, while 29% claimed to have given children soap, and 27% said they provided head lice products or bought pupils a toothbrush.

Nicola Finney, head teacher at St Paul’s Church of England Primary School in Stoke on Trent, which receives products from In Kind Direct, said staff are considering installing a washing machine.

She said: “We now make allowances in our very tight school budget to make sure we can buy personal hygiene and washing items, such as toiletries, washing powder and toothpaste, as well as spare uniforms, shoes and deodorant, because we know increasing numbers of families simply can’t afford to buy them.”

Ms Finney said she has spent hundreds of pounds of her own money buying items for students. She added: “We have seen significantly more children coming into school with washing and hygiene issues over the last few years.

“It used to be just a couple of children across the school, but now there are two or three in every classroom dealing with these issues. “I’ve spoken to teachers across the country and they are doing the same as us. “We want all of our pupils to get the best outcomes, not just those that can afford the basic essentials to keep themselves and their clothes clean and presentable.”

The charity survey found more than a quarter (26%) of parents said their children have to wear the same shirt or blouse for at least a week, while almost one in five (19%) admitted they cannot afford to wash their offspring’s clothes as often as they would like.

Some 14% said they have struggled to afford soap and shampoo, while 43% admitted they had to forgo basic hygiene or cleaning products because they cannot afford them.

Robin Boles, In Kind Direct chief executive, said: “The results of our latest study are a shocking reflection of the growing scale of family hygiene poverty across the UK. “Teachers are increasingly being relied upon to step in to provide pupils with everyday essential products because their parents simply can’t afford to make ends meet. “Alongside this, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of people who are increasingly relying on support from the charities across the UK to which we supply products. “It is clear that hygiene poverty is hitting families hard and is having a huge impact on children’s wellbeing at school.

“No child’s education and future life chances should be compromised because of the stigma they face, simply because their families can’t afford the hygiene products to keep themselves clean.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/children-going-school-dirty-because-1690421

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15 Jun 2018

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Austerity cuts, Education (local)

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“School In Theresa May’s Constituency Asks Parents To Donate Toilet Paper And Stationery”

“A school in Theresa May’s constituency has asked parents for donations of essential items such as toilet roll, stationery and blue tac.

St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School in Maidenhead, Berkshire, sent parents an email including a link to an Amazon wish list on Monday detailing items they could buy to help its 420 pupils.

Catherine del Campo, whose 10-year-old daughter attends the school, told HuffPost UK she was “extremely concerned” to receive the email. “I felt that if this is happening to our school it must be happening elsewhere,” she said.

The mum has already donated toilet paper and plasters to the school and says other parents have also been “incredibly supportive”. “I haven’t heard a single parent blaming the school, although I’m aware others have questioned the school’s role in this,” she said.

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4 Jun 2018

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Austerity cuts, Economy, Education (local), Inequality

Young people stuck in low-paid, insecure jobs

And that’s why “great employment figures” are not to be trusted.

“… The number of 21- to 30-year-olds working in precarious, often low-paid work has exploded, according to the report. In that 20-year period, numbers of young people working in private social care has increased by 104%, while in hotels and restaurants the figure is 80%. The generational pay gap has increased in real terms from £3,140 in 1998 to £5,884 in 2017 for someone working a 40-hour week. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jun/04/growing-gulf-between-pay-of-younger-and-older-people-says-tuc

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25 May 2018

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Inequality

OFSTED too poor to inspect failing schools adequately

“The schools watchdog has failed to hit targets while suffering “constants cuts” to its budget for more than a decade, the National Audit Office has said.

The full spend on inspecting the schools sector in 2017-18 has fallen in real terms by 52% compared to 1999-2000 – from £125m to £60m, the public spending watchdog highlighted in a report released yesterday.

Ofsted had failed to meet its statutory target to re-inspect schools graded ‘inadequate’ in 6% (78) of cases between 2012-13 and 2016-17.

It also did not meet its statutory target to re-inspect schools within five years in 43 cases between 2012-13 and 2016-17, mainly due to it categorising 32 schools as new when they were expanded or amalgamated, the NAO publication showed.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “The fact that Ofsted has been subject to constant cuts over more than a decade, and regular shifts in focus, speaks volumes.

“The department [for education] needs to be mindful that cheaper inspection is not necessarily better inspection. ”

He added: “To demonstrate its commitment, the department needs a clear vision for school inspection and to resource it accordingly.”

Cuts have occurred while Ofsted has been handed new responsibilities, including evaluating children’s social care, early years and childcare, the public spending watchdog noted.

The NAO highlighted a high level of turnover- 19% in 2017/18 – of HM Inspectors, who cited workload pressures as a key reason for leaving.

A lack of inspectors has meant that Ofsted has “found it difficult to meet inspection targets,” according to the NAO report.

Under current legislation, schools graded as ‘outstanding’ are exempt from routine re-inspection, meaning that at August 2017 1,620 schools had not been inspected for six years or more.

Of these, 296 schools had not been inspected for ten years or more.

The NAO estimated the cost of inspection per school in 2017-18 was £7,200.

Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s chief inspector, said: “Like much of the public sector, we are operating in a difficult financial climate.

“We have had to make tough decisions about how we prioritise resources. I am confident that Ofsted gets the balance right.”

She added: “The NAO’s conclusion that we cannot prove the value for money we represent is explicitly not the same as demonstrating that we do not provide value.”

In 2017-18, Ofsted spent £44m on inspecting state-funded schools. ”

https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2018/05/schools-watchdog-under-funding-pressure-struggles-hit-targets