The crisis of two-tier education

Brendan Montague
Wednesday February 27, 2002
The Stockport Express

ASPIRING accountant and Priestnall student Peter Ashcroft is fuming because sister Zoe gets £800 a year more than him.

But it’s not his parents who are forking out the extra money – it’s the Government bureaucrats who have decided poor Manchester pupils are worth more than middle-England Stockport students.

Peter, 12, is not happy because his sister’s school Whalley Range High School gets more money to spend on computers and books. “I think the Government has got its sums wrong,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE

CASH-STRAPPED Stockport schools are facing a massive financial crisis if the Government fails to stump up much-needed funds by today.

Education leaders are waiting with baited eath for the Stockport Council's budget deadline this evening to see whether Department of Education and Skills mandarins will administer an eleventh hour cash injection.

Headteachers from Stockport's 112 primary and 12 secondary schools will have to fight over £121 million to pay for teachers, books, school buildings and pencils after April.

This is £4million more than last year but councillors argue that new costs imposed by the Government are also up.

The crisis will come to a head this year because the Government has so far refused to repeat the £950,000 hand out which saved the day last April.

Bureaucrats at Westminster promised to change the way funding is added up but delays have left Stockport school students short changed this year.

They have decided that education for Stockport children should cost £6,778 each. The council decided to Much spend an extra £242 per pupil by raiding other budgets.

Teaching children maths, English and other staples is an expensive business. Education eats up half of the council's total budget. Stockport's largest school, Kingsway, has a budget of £4million alone.

In national negotiations the Government conceded to union calls for a three per cent pay rise. This will set Stockport back an extra £2.9 million with a further £346,000 pay costs in the pipeline.

Schools do not resent paying their staff more wages but they're furious because the Government has not given any more money to pay for the rise.

Instead, headteachers will have to find the money by spending even less on text books, computers and paint.

Stockport spent £3.6million over and above Government expectations but with parks, roads and other departments all lacking investment, this special treatment can only last so long.

Tony Blair famously promised to make education better but if parents in Stockport feel their children's schools are going broke they will not vote New Labour at the next election.