‘Damaging’ school cuts

Unite has warned that damaging school cuts will increase if the Tories regain power on June 8.

The warning was issued after education unions, including Unite, condemned plans by an academy chain to slash ÂŁ1.4m from its schools estates budget.

Under the plan the London-based Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) proposes to cut the number of buildings and estates staff in schools by over 25 percent.

The cuts would result in at least 34 redundancies across its 66 primary, special and secondary academies – a move the unions say will undermine the safe running of the schools.

AET’s recently appointed chief executive, Julian Drinkall, who is reportedly receiving an annual salary of ÂŁ240,000, is not one of those under threat.

Schools across the UK are affected – including those in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Gloucester and Milton Keynes.

The unions  – representing head teachers, teachers, teaching assistants and school support staff – are calling on AET to halt the plan immediately in favour of a proper period of genuine consultation with the schools, staff, and parents.

Unite national officer Fiona Farmer said, “Once again we are seeing a threat to children’s education and our members’ livelihoods as another academy trust pursues its flawed financial strategy.

Farmer said central government funding cuts for schools – which will amount to £3bn a year by 2020 in real-terms – is leaving many headteachers with impossible decisions.

“This isn’t the first academy chain to announce damaging cuts and it certainly won’t be the last if the Tories are allowed to continue slashing education budgets as if schools are a needless frivolity,” said Farmer.

Earlier this week, Unite again joined with education unions to issue a final warning to an academy chain with schools in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humberside over plans to axe support staff.

The David Ross Education Trust (DRET) is proposing to cut nearly ÂŁ1m in funding from school budgets and up to 40 jobs from across its 32 primary and secondary schools.

Farmer said Labour’s education policy, which was announced yesterday (May 10), was the best hope for the UK’s struggling schools.

Labour’s key pledges including reversing the cuts to school budgets with a real terms increase in funding, reduction of class sizes to under 30 for all five, six and seven-year-olds and free school meals for all primary school children.

The plans will be funded from the £20bn that will be raised by reversing the Conservative Party’s cuts to corporation tax.

Farmer said, “Unite welcomes Labour’s plan to stop cuts to school budgets, reduce class sizes and provide free school meals for all primary school children.

“For too long education in this country has been undervalued and stripped to the bone by a government who’s main priority is to serve the needs of the privileged few.”