Teachers meet to discuss cuts to funding

School leaders, teachers and governors will be joined by MPs, parents and delegates at the 2018 North West Education Summit.

Top of the agenda will be the impact real-terms cuts to school funding is having on schools.

Schools across the region say they are being seriously affected by government underfunding and say they are facing a collective loss of to budgets of £192,812,543 by 2020. InBlackpool, 28 of 34 schools will face cuts, says the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT).

Their recent survey revealed almost three-quarters of school leaders said the performance of their schools was already affected by cutbacks.

A spokesman for Lancashire NAHT said: “Government funding is not keeping pace with inflationary pressures resulting in real terms funding cuts. Schools are falling into debt.

“There is a real concern that this will soon have a negative impact on children and education. Class sizes have risen, and schools have already had to cut teaching staff, reduce extra support for children, and even shorten the school week.”