Isles of Scilly MP Andrew George is to lead a delegation to meet Schools Minister David Miliband MP, to discuss the schools funding crisis.
The meeting is due to take place on 2nd March at the Department for Education and Skills in London. It follows the Minister’s recent announcement that Cornwall has failed in its bid for the Building Schools for the Future funding, which would have provided major investment and new buildings in at least 8 schools.
In April 2003, Mr George led a Commons debate on education funding in Cornwall following the local authorities’ budget setting process, which led to cuts in staff and increased class sizes. In September last year Mr George led a second debate to follow up the issues but they have still not been resolved.
The West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly MP has continued to receive correspondence from schools and worried parents in his constituency, concerned about growing class sizes, teacher redundancies and school budgets going into the red.
Commenting to Scilly News Mr George said:’It is disappointing that, almost a year after I first brought this matter to the attention of Education Minister David Miliband, schools in Cornwall still find themselves in a severe difficulty.
‘I hope the Minister will give us some crumbs of comfort. After all, at a time when the Minister and his Department have been trumpeting record investment schools in my constituency began the new academic year with fewer teachers, larger classes and severely depleted reserves.
‘The funding deficit is despite the fact that Cornwall County Council ?passported? all the money they were given by the Government for the purpose, and more.
‘Once again I am going to have to ask a Minister what schools are supposed to do when they are faced with diminishing budgets. I hope that this time my concerns, along with those of parents and teachers up and down the country, will be met with action not words by a Government that has always claimed its priority was education, education, education.?