Already stretched city schools and colleges across Portsmouth are set to lose a staggering £3.7m under the Tory government, meaning more cuts and reductions to key equipment for children and young people.
Long-time campaigner against these cuts Stephen Morgan MP is now calling on local people to help him in pushing the Prime Minister into action so that Portsmouth’s schools have the resources they need. One of the simple ways he’s asking for support is by asking residents to back the campaign by displaying a poster in their window at home.
Why is this campaign needed?
Last month’s Autumn budget saw the Government failing to listen to a growing number of teachers, parents and campaigners over their concerns on the schools and colleges funding crisis. Rather than the Chancellor tackling the issue head on, instead he offered only insulting ‘little extras’ to schools.
This was the Government’s opportunity to change course and properly fund education in Portsmouth. Yet instead the Prime Minister and her team offered:
- No money whatsoever to plug the gaps in core school budgets – Nationally 17,942 schools faced cuts before the budget; 17,942 schools still face cuts after. In Portsmouth 50 out of 56 schools are affected.
- No money for children with special educational needs and disabilities – Children with special educational needs and disabilities need urgent education funding – more than 2,000 children with SEND are still awaiting provision. This year’s budget made no attempt to address the crisis in SEND.
- “Little extras” for school buildings and equipment. The Chancellor only announced one-off capital funding. The school capital budget was down from £7.6bn in 2010 to £5.2bn before the budget. With Hammond’s little extras, it will be back up, but only to £5.6bn, and it’ll be back down to £4.5bn by 2020.
Local MP Stephen Morgan has been calling on the Government to give more resources to support Portsmouth schools.
After visiting lots of local schools and colleges he has launched with community campaigners and unions the ‘Portsmouth Against School Cuts Campaign’, encouraging local people and groups to work together to stop the £3.7m of cuts to the city’s schools.
The campaign builds on Stephen’s tireless efforts to get the Government to listen on school funding in Portsmouth, and follows questions raised with the Prime Minister, her Ministers, letters to the Department of Education and engaging with parents, teachers and teaching unions in the city.
Stephen Morgan MP with Cllr Tom Coles outside a school in Fratton
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“I’m hearing again and again when I visit Portsmouth schools, or meet teachers and support staff, how stretched our schools and colleges are.
Last month the Chancellor had the chance to do something about this, but sadly he failed Portsmouth yet again.
I urge local people to join me with the Portsmouth Against Schools Cuts campaign, by getting in touch with your concerns, sharing with me the impact cuts are having on your child’s school, or simply taking one of my campaign posters to display in your window at home.
I will continue to raise local concerns in Parliament. I won’t give up until the Government acts and gives Portsmouth schools and colleges the resources they need”.
How can you help?
There’s four simple things you can do to help our campaign in Portsmouth:
- Download Stephen’s Portsmouth Against School Cuts campaign poster here or email him at stephen.morgan.mp@parliament.uk to get a copy to you.
- Find out how Government cuts will affect your local school by visiting the school cuts website here
- Write directly to the Education Secretary Damian Hinds MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA with your concerns about Portsmouth’s schools
- Show your support on social media by sharing posts and tweets about Stephen’s campaign with the hashtag #portsmouthschoolsagainstcuts
Together lets stop the £3.7m of Tory cuts to Portsmouth’s schools
