Funding shock (From Penarth Times)

Funding shock

THE head of St Cyres Comprehensive has slammed the funding of secondary schools in the Vale following what he says are new budget cuts.

Brian Lightman, branch secretary of the Secondary Heads Association in the Vale and headteacher of St Cyres School, said: "Yet again Secondary Headteachers in the Vale of Glamorgan are wondering how to make ends meet in the light of further real-term cuts in their budgets.

"Secondary heads were shocked and disappointed to see their budget allocations for 2005, having been told that the Vale Council had managed to fund an increase of over seven percent - which would allow for growth.

"In reality the increase includes a number of new unavoidable costs, such as performance-related pay, and the workload agreement.

"Schools with sixth forms have been hit particularly hard because the amount of funding per pupil has only risen by 1.26 percent.

"Headteachers are angry that they have been left with budgets which make no allowance for inflation - let alone growth or development."

The Secondary Heads Association in the Vale say the council remains one of the lowest funding authorities in Wales and the UK.

It claims Vale pupils receive hundreds of pounds less than their peers in other authorities, a difference of 100 per pupil means nearly 160,000 for one of the Penarth secondary schools - enough, for example, to pay for six more teachers in each school.

Across all Vale schools the average would be 120,000 or five teachers per school.

Mr Lightman added: "Vale Schools have been consistently underfunded for many years.

"Three of the secondary schools (St Cyres, Llantwit Major and Cowbridge) are in a serious state of disrepair and require urgent funding for major building projects which the council has been unable to fund.

"Operating with this kind of building stock adds to the budget pressures.

"Funding for post-16 pupils comes via ELWA. Changes in the arrangements for post-16 funding have consistently been publicised under the banner of'putting the learner first'.

"I fail to understand how a budget, which is well below inflation, can do anything other than undermine the obvious success of our sixth forms.

"This is particularly ironical at a time when we are celebrating A/AS Level module results, which are the best we have ever achieved."

Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Education, Tony Hampton said: "School budgets in the Vale are developed in collaboration with headteachers.

"The budget increase for 2005/2006 is 7.24 percent and ensures that all additional sums made available by the Welsh Assembly Government are provided to schools in full.