Heads demand more funding for schools

By Juliette Maxam

HEADTEACHERS have urged senior education bosses to give their schools more money.

The call was made yesterday at the Essex Secondary Headteachers' Association conference at Five Lakes Hotel in Tolleshunt Knights.

The theme of the conference was Schools Working Collaboratively, but Steve Wyatt, outgoing chairman of the Essex Secondary Headteachers' Association said, it had also looked at finance and budget issues.

“We have been making the point when the Government changed the funding formula for schools nationally, Essex was very seriously affected,” he added.

“There are a lot of schools which have had to use money normally set aside for buildings to pay staff.

“If the situation is repeated, lots of schools will go into deficit. More schools this year have gone into deficit than ever before.

“It's got to be sorted out nationally. If we don't get the money, we won't have the teachers to network together.”

Mr Wyatt said the association was hoping to work with Essex politicians to lobby the Government to get extra money for the county's schools.

Among the speakers at the conference was Peter Housden, director general for schools at the Department for Education and Science.

Other speakers included Carey Bennet, head of the schools service at Essex County Council, and Liz Railton, the county council's deputy chief executive (learning and social care).

Caroline Haynes, headteacher at Sir Charles Lucas School in Colchester, said: “It's really important for us to have the opportunity to talk to colleagues in the Department for Education and Science so they can understand how Government policy impacts on schools.

“By doing so, we can understand what it is they're trying to do and they can understand the impact of their policies at ground level.”

Terry Creissen, principal of Colne Community School in Brightlingsea, said it was good to have Mr Housden at the conference to learn about the views of Essex schools.

juliette.maxam@eadt.co.uk