PAULA SHERRIFF MP COLUMN: '˜Cuts to education are an appalling betrayal'

With the NHS in crisis, a meltdown in social care funding, councils being forced to take extreme measures to protect residents from vicious cuts to funding and now this fresh attack on education.

Across Dewsbury, Mirfield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton the Government’s so-called ‘fairer funding formula’ will see 50 out of 50 schools lose funding and not one will gain.

This is the second-highest number of schools facing cuts in any Parliamentary constituency.

Thornhill Academy, for example, is set to lose over £500,000 which equates to nearly £700 per pupil.

In Parliament last week I pressed the Education Secretary, Justine Greening, on this.

When the Tories were asking local people for votes, parents were promised that funding would be protected for every child - these cuts are an appalling betrayal of local children.

Schools are, rightly, one of the most important issues for people living in our area.

Sadly, as happened with the Tory governments of the 1980s and early 90s, once again funding for schools is being cut back.

The Government say they are addressing unfairness in school funding between different parts of the country.

But the result will be to take funds from areas which have the greatest need.

Research by an independent think-tank has found that Kirklees will be on the receiving end of the largest cuts outside the major urban centres of London, Manchester and the West Midlands.

Across the local area, 169 schools will see their budgets reduced by a total of nearly £6.5m a year, amounting to over £100 per pupil.

Schools in this constituency shoulder over £2m of the total cuts across Kirklees.

The council and our schools need more support from central government.

We should be enabling all children to learn and fulfil their potential.

That requires investment.

I will be fighting alongside local parents, pupils and teachers to hold the government to the commitment they made and make sure our children do not pay the price for broken Tory promises.

The Government promised a fairer funding formula but it’s not fairer and it’s not funded. Local schools are threatened with cuts to staff, subjects or school days, or passing the begging bowl around parents.

Local children deserve better.