Milton Keynes Labour Party member, Jackie Andrew-Barrett, wrote a letter to the Citizen newspaper concerning its recent coverage of the proposed cuts to school funding in 2018, which was published on the 5th October, 2017.  In it she points to the impact of school cuts in Milton Keynes, provided by the School Cuts website.

Jackie wrote:

“On September 15, and again in the paper edition of September 21, the Citizen published an article claiming that Milton Keynes was ‘a big winner’ in terms of school funding from April 2018, with some receiving up to 13 per cent more money from the government’s new National Funding Formula. The article also quoted our two Conservative MPs as saying that they ‘warmly welcomed’ the news.

Unfortunately, for most schools in the area, it turns out that the picture is nowhere near as rosy. Indeed, the updated School Cuts website shows that a massive 83 per cent of schools in MK are still set to lose funding by 2020, equivalent to a loss of many teachers across the area.

If you are a concerned student, parent, grandparent, or you just care about the education of our children, you can check out the impact of the new formula on your local school here: www.schoolcuts.org.uk/#!/schools.

It would require too much space to note all the schools in Milton Keynes that are set to lose money (81 in total, according to the website). I wonder if our MPs, Mark Lancaster and Iain Stewart, are just as pleased for the 83 per cent of schools that will lose out, and wonder why this fact was not mentioned in the original article. Our children deserve better.

No schools should be losing funding – indeed we need to invest more, instead of wasting money on unnecessary Free Schoools or giving out grants to fund the transfer of Academy sponsors (the DFE reports over £16 million on this between 2013 and 2017). I suggest all those who feel let down by this government’s plans for school funding let their MPs know, both by letter and via the polling booth when the next opportunity arises.”

How to contact your MP

Let your MP know how you feel about school cuts, using the information below.

Ian Stewart: Milton Keynes South

Email

iain.stewart.mp@parliament.uk

Constituency contact details

Suite 102, Milton Keynes Business Centre, Foxhunter Drive, Linford Wood, MK14 6GD

Tel: 01908 686830

Fax: 01908 686831

Mark Lancaster: Milton Keynes North

Email

officeofmarklancaster@parliament.uk

Constituency contact details

Suite 102, Milton Keynes Business Park, Foxhunter Drive, Linford Wood, MK14 6GD

Tel: 01908 686830

Fax: 01908 686831

Photograph: © Sarah2 | Dreamstime