Heads could take industrial action over schools cash crisis

Tuesday 07th May 2019 18:42 EDT
 

Head teachers could take industrial action over the schools funding crisis. The National Association of Head Teachers annual conference has backed a motion committing the union to explore options to challenge the funding crisis up to and including industrial action.

Heads also voted to refuse to make staff redundant or reduce their terms and conditions to balance budgets. Proposing the motion, London head Dave Woods said cuts risked the education of an entire generation of children.

"It is not good enough. This crisis has reached a point where schools are no longer able to provide standards of education afforded to previous generations of this country. Despite our loud and continuous warnings and those from other school leaders, parents, governors, the National Audit Office, local and district councils, I could go on and on - the government not only refuses to listen but deny there is a problem.," Mr Woods told the conference in Telford.

But another head, Miranda Gibbs, said the conference resolution would leave her with divided loyalties as her school's governing body was very clear that she should operate a balanced budget, and the school had already "very reluctantly" begun redundancy procedures for some staff.

The motion also called for school leaders to set and publicise projected budgets to reveal the actual amounts they need to run their schools compared with the money available in reality.

Earlier this year, about 7,000 head teachers in England wrote to parents highlighting a "funding crisis" in their schools.


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