FUN0103

Written evidence submitted by William Martin C of E Infant and Junior Schools

 

 

  1. I promised to put in writing about the massive impact of the real terms funding cuts we have experienced over the last few years.

 

  1. We have recently, joined The Vine Church of England Academy Trust to support us and help us make financial savings. To set a budget for a three year forecast we need to make at least £360,000 of savings. I know from talking to other heads that this is not uncommon. This figure may increase as the cushion for the teachers’ pay increase is only for 18 months and we are unsure about the support for the increase for teachers’ pension contributions. To set an accurate three year budget plan is impossible.

 

  1. William Martin C. of. E.  Infant and Junior Schools serve the deprived area in Harlow of Bush Fair. Houses are over-crowded and there are low aspirations of families. At least a third of our children are entitled to Pupil Premium Funding. This of course will diminish with introduction of the Universal Credit, which is again effectively another funding cut. 

 

  1. We are an inclusive school and also have high SEND needs. We are not funded fully for the amount of time needed to support these children or able to provide the right resources. Many of our children move onto specialist provision in Year 6 but we are expected to meet their needs at Primary School.

 

  1. It would be very interesting for you to have access to figures from all the schools in Harlow to see the discrepancy in the amount of High Needs/SEND children attending certain Academy groups. It is very clear that certain Academies actively discourage SEND children from attending and also have higher exclusion rates. This is inevitably to do with funding and also to ensure their results are good. I do hope in the next couple of years these corrupt practices will be recognised and dealt with.

 

  1. The impact of these cuts has been enormous for our school. Re-structuring has meant a reduction in Learning Support Assistants. The Sutton Trust (2012) report measured Learning Support Assistants impact on academic achievement and initially stated there was little evidence to show their worth. Newer research from The Education Endowment Fund (2017) describes the dramatically positive impact of well-targeted Learning Support Assistants working with individuals and small groups of children.

 

  1. The initial report in 2012 did not measure the impact of ‘high’ quality well trained Learning Support Assistants.  High quality teaching alone cannot close the gap with the amount of children our school has with Speech and Language issues and other learning needs. The Speech and Language service has also been cut and therefore they only way to help these children is have trained adults in school.

 

  1. Secondly, the study did not measure the nurturing skill given by Learning Support Assistants to children with mental health issues that are displayed in a school like ours. The lack of these resources is now putting pressure on all remaining staff.

 

  1. Thirdly, due to the reduction in Learning Support Assistants it is harder to run trips and support all of our SEND children in the classrooms.

 

  1. With the future planned cuts, Learning Support Assistants will have their hours cut and leave the school. Where teachers have less support from anther adult they will inevitably choose to move to easier schools where there are less high need children.

 

  1. Currently, we have two full-time Inclusion Mentors who work out of class. Their work load is enormous as they deal with Child Protection issues, battle with agencies that are unable to support families, and help SEMH children in school. If you would like a very clear picture of the issues our children and families face please come and spend some time with these incredible members of staff. Their roles are under threat with the budget cuts ahead.

 

  1. We have a full-time SENCO who works across the schools. I have warned him that over the next few years that he may need to return to teach in the classroom full time.

 

  1. My two hard working deputies have also been warned about more teaching time.

 

  1. We have a core number of children who exhibit challenging behaviours. Usually we can deal with these children and prevent them from getting to violent behaviours through distraction techniques and being removed from class.  With adult numbers lessening there is more chance that these children will have to have fixed term exclusions for aggressive behaviour where other children and staff are at risk. I have fewer staff now to put with these children. Currently, I have a child working outside of class as his behaviour is so volatile it is difficult to keep other children safe. This half term he has stabbed a child in the head (more than once) and leg with a pencil, punched and hurt a member of staff and punched a child in the back of the head. There is no adult to put 1:1 with him or the funding to do so.

 

  1. The actual state of the school building and environment of school needs a lot of improvement. We use two old demoutables (second hand when we received them 30+ years) as spaces for music, a Learning Hub for our SEND children, after school provision and parenting groups. They are not fit for purpose and look terrible. They are the only spaces for the two schools to provide such provision.

 

  1. The future therefore in education is incredibly bleak. I have been a teacher for 27 years and a headteacher for 13. I have seen hardship in schools before but never to this extent.

 

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  17. To summarise;

 

17.1.                 Schools in deprived areas will struggle to recruit as staff leave and work in less challenging schools.

 

17.2.                 Ruthless Academy chains will continue to find ways of rejecting children with High Needs. However, they will be the schools with great academic results and praised accordingly. The inclusive schools will be penalised for their poor results and probably be forced to join the corrupt chains. I fear for our SEND children and those missing children where chains threaten to exclude unless the children are ‘home educated’ or force them move schools.

 

17.3.                 Schools are unable to deliver an education fit for purpose as budgets are squeezed. Buildings are crumbling and resources, particularly ICT equipment, not replaced.

 

17.4.                 The mental health needs of our young people will not being met as pastoral teams are stretched and eventually, in primary schools, will go. Safeguarding issues will grow and children will inevitably suffer as other external services are also stretched to the limit.

 

17.5.                 Succession planning in schools in more challenging areas will become difficult as staff will not want to move into Senior Leadership roles.

 

 

  1. I am passionate about the schools I lead and want all of my children to reach their potential academically and, being fully inclusive, want them to find their place as valuable citizens in our society.

 

  1. Please put pressure on the government to end this crisis in education now. An injection of money is desperately needed to allow us to function.

 

  1. Austerity has apparently ended but the legacy of the cuts is far reaching and apparently on-going in the education sector.

 

 

November 2018