Funding cuts 'hammer blow to children'

ANDY Burnham

GREATER Manchester mayoral candidate Andy Burnham has criticised government plans to slash school budgets, after it was revealed that 99 per cent of schools in the region would be worse off - including all Oldham's 99 schools.

The Labour mayoral candidate and MP for Leigh is demanding a fairer deal for schools in the region and has urged other candidates to back his call.

Recent statistics show that by 2020, all of Oldham's 99 schools will see a reduction in central government funding due to the government's proposed funding changes and school budgets not being kept in line with inflation.

Waterhead Academy will see the largest reduction across all schools (£920,000), with Hodge Clough Primary seeing the biggest reduction for an Oldham primary (£198,800).

Every secondary school faces a cut of almost half-a-million, with Saddleworth School (£729,900) and Blue Coat (£799,400) expecting some of the largest cuts. Royton and Crompton faces the smallest reduction (£478,800).

Figures for primary schools show Littlemoor will have the smallest budget reduction: £34,700.

Around 57 per cent of schools in Greater Manchester could also face further cuts if a new funding formula is introduced next year, Mr Burnham said. "These savage cuts will lead to teacher redundancies and bigger class sizes at schools in areas of high deprivation.

"Every secondary school in Wigan will be a loser under the new formula, with most schools throughout the whole of Greater Manchester hit very hard.

"No wonder people are cynical about politics. On the one hand, we have government ministers promising to build a 'Northern Powerhouse'.

"Then, on the other, we have the education secretary taking a sledgehammer to the very foundations on which that powerhouse would stand.

"If these school cuts were to go ahead, they would cause profound damage to our skills base and the economic prospects of our young people."

Over the coming weeks, working with the other local MPs and councillors, Mr Burnham intends to launch a campaign across Greater Manchester to support schools against the proposed funding cuts.

"I don't think we can sit by and watch as the budget of every single secondary school in our region is cut.

"Sometimes issues are so important that everyone needs to take a stand and the education of our children and young people is in that category."