City MP, Labour councillors and community campaigners have today written to the Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds MP calling on the Government to reserve cuts to Portsmouth schools and properly invest in education in the city
Action comes following Stephen Morgan MP’s efforts locally and with the National Education Union’s Councillor Network. Earlier this week the Portsmouth MP joined local government leaders from across the country and Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the NEU in hand delivering a similar letter with over 1,000 from all parts of the country.
The letter from Portsmouth has been signed by representatives from all parts of the city, recognising that city schools are set to lose £3.7m in the coming years affecting 50 schools across Portsmouth.
The letter states:
“Across the country, our excellent state-funded schools have lost out in billions of pounds in funding since 2015. The IFS has equated this to an 8 per cent cut per pupil in real terms, since 2010…
Many schools and colleges in our city are now desperately overwhelmed, as more and more students are competing for fewer and fewer resources”.
Campaigners are calling for the Government to address the funding crisis in the forthcoming Spending Review by reserving cuts to city school budgets, raising the rate for colleges and properly funding schools and special educational needs and disabilities provision.
City Labour Leader, Stephen Morgan MP said:
“I welcome the support of Labour councillors and community campaigners in the Portsmouth Against School Cuts campaign.
Children in our city only have one chance to go through the school system. By cutting funding in Portsmouth the Government is failing our children.
I hope this letter, and the other actions we are taking, will ensure the Secretary of State will finally change course and give our city’s schools and colleges, education professionals and students the proper funding they need”.
