:00:00. > :00:45.Order, order. Do you move the motion? I'm very pleased to have
:00:46. > :00:50.secured this very important debate, albeit... Sitting on the session. I
:00:51. > :00:54.know many of my constituents are very concerned but also those of my
:00:55. > :01:00.fellow MPs from across the north-east who are in attendance
:01:01. > :01:07.today in some numbers, I'm pleased to say. Some could not be here
:01:08. > :01:12.today, including my fellow MPs, members for Horton and Sunderland
:01:13. > :01:16.sale. The honourable member for Tynemouth, who has raised concerns
:01:17. > :01:21.with the Minister, following a meeting he had with headteachers in
:01:22. > :01:25.his area, he is very concerned about the effect on his constituency in
:01:26. > :01:30.Tynemouth and he asked me to convey his apologies as he really did want
:01:31. > :01:36.to be here but had to be elsewhere. I also want to thank my honourable
:01:37. > :01:41.friend for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, who has done a lot
:01:42. > :01:43.of work over recent months to raise awareness of our collective concerns
:01:44. > :01:50.about the governments's negligent approach to schools in our region
:01:51. > :01:55.and I have to add that she will be sorely missed 20 steps down from
:01:56. > :01:59.this place next week, both by us, his regional colleagues, as well as
:02:00. > :02:03.I know by his constituents. I'm free and on pleased to see him in his
:02:04. > :02:08.place today. We are a passionate advocate for the education of
:02:09. > :02:11.children and young people and it is safe to say that education,
:02:12. > :02:15.education, education is a mantra that we still believe in. Sadly, we
:02:16. > :02:20.have seen this Government run roughshod over an education system
:02:21. > :02:27.and our local schools by putting them in an unprecedented position
:02:28. > :02:29.which not only in action and support schools but actually cuts which are
:02:30. > :02:35.fundamentally detrimental to the very by ability of some schools
:02:36. > :02:40.continuing. That may very viability. In my contribution this morning, you
:02:41. > :02:44.want to set out with this approach is damaging to education. -- why
:02:45. > :02:49.this approach. To do this, I will get free areas the national
:02:50. > :02:51.situation, moving on to how the national situation is affecting
:02:52. > :02:55.schools in my constituency in the north-east, and finally how the
:02:56. > :03:00.approach to the education system is affecting the very nature of our
:03:01. > :03:03.schools. The very purpose of schools is to educate our children and
:03:04. > :03:07.address societal issues such as address societal issues such as
:03:08. > :03:11.children in poverty and social mobility. Before I get to the crux
:03:12. > :03:15.of why I have called this debate, I can already predict perhaps what the
:03:16. > :03:19.minister might say in his contribution at the end of this
:03:20. > :03:23.debate, who just like the Prime Minister, what he said a few weeks
:03:24. > :03:27.ago, that he Government have rejected them are protected the
:03:28. > :03:33.schools budget. We know that is not the case. There is a failure to
:03:34. > :03:39.recognise that our schools are facing real cuts, not cash cuts. It
:03:40. > :03:42.is deeply disingenuous to say that they have protected the budget. It
:03:43. > :03:46.is like paying public sector workers the same as they pay in seven years
:03:47. > :03:51.ago and saying they protected their salaries. Hang on a minute, they
:03:52. > :03:56.have done that as well. He's real term, so mainly down to inflation,
:03:57. > :04:06.but also for other areas, areas as well for the link was, include
:04:07. > :04:11.increases in an RA, pensions, the services grant, which have reduced
:04:12. > :04:18.funding by ?600 million. The cost of annual pay awards, which will
:04:19. > :04:23.increase by 4.4% by 2020 and finally the impact that the apprenticeship
:04:24. > :04:26.levy will have on schools that take on apprentices. Much of this would
:04:27. > :04:31.not be a problem if the Government was not overseeing a static funding
:04:32. > :04:38.situation for our schools, where babies are real term cuts now range
:04:39. > :04:41.between 6.5% and 8%. On top of all this, growing concerns about what
:04:42. > :04:48.the new schools funding formula will do to school budgets and the issue
:04:49. > :04:52.of staff retention which is in dire need of an uplift. We can easily
:04:53. > :04:57.come to the conclusion that what we're seeing is a complete,
:04:58. > :05:04.negligent, risk management, perfect storm. Instead of coming to terms
:05:05. > :05:07.with these issues, we have seen the Government shove their heads in the
:05:08. > :05:10.sand and on regardless, ignoring what many in society, from MPs
:05:11. > :05:14.across the house to teachers and parents themselves, what they are
:05:15. > :05:21.calling for which is support for our education system to ensure that we
:05:22. > :05:25.have options. As the Public Accounts Committee recently said in the
:05:26. > :05:27.report about school cuts, the Government, and I quote, does not
:05:28. > :05:32.seem to understand the pressures that schools are already under. End
:05:33. > :05:38.quote. This is something I completely agree with and feel
:05:39. > :05:41.frustrated that ministers are ignoring the concerns of a wide
:05:42. > :05:48.cross-section of society on this matter. Even school leaders, who are
:05:49. > :05:56.the ones who know their budgets the nose, as well as NAHT, say 22%
:05:57. > :06:03.budgets are untenable by 2019-2020. This is not something that comes as
:06:04. > :06:08.a surprise. The Department for Education expect schools to make ?3
:06:09. > :06:12.billion of savings per year by 2019-2020. It is safe to say that
:06:13. > :06:17.this ?3 billion cut, which is what it is, it is a cart, the savings.
:06:18. > :06:24.The funding pressure schools face and the action -- cut. Needs to
:06:25. > :06:28.headteachers having to make impossible decisions, some of which
:06:29. > :06:32.will smugly impact negatively on the pupils and their education, all
:06:33. > :06:39.because of what the minister is doing, are not new doing. -- will
:06:40. > :06:42.surely impact negatively. It is nothing to do with efficiency, it is
:06:43. > :06:47.all about impoverishing our schools. Shamefully, this approach will hit
:06:48. > :06:51.children living in the poorest areas the nose, such as in those parts of
:06:52. > :06:57.my constituency and those of my fellow MPs from across the house.
:06:58. > :07:01.Especially in the north-east, we all have deprived communities in our
:07:02. > :07:05.constituencies. That means more and more children will be held back in
:07:06. > :07:08.life, when we should be supporting them to achieve social mobility and
:07:09. > :07:12.achieve their full potential. As I stated at the beginning of my
:07:13. > :07:16.contribution, I know this issue is something that many of my
:07:17. > :07:20.constituents and teachers in my constituency are concerned about. It
:07:21. > :07:26.is not surprising libido till budget cuts by 2019 across the city of
:07:27. > :07:31.Sunderland, they are expected to be over ?60 million, in terms of her
:07:32. > :07:38.pupils then, that is an average cut of ?470 per pupil. A loss of 439
:07:39. > :07:49.teachers across the borough of Sunderland.
:07:50. > :07:59.One of the worst hit primary schools will see a budget cut of over
:08:00. > :08:05.?150,000. The average cut is ?103,000, which is still a huge cut.
:08:06. > :08:10.The headmaster set out in an e-mail to me clearly, and that e-mail has
:08:11. > :08:13.been sent on to the Secretary of State for Education, what the extent
:08:14. > :08:18.of these funding pressures will mean for his school, from potential staff
:08:19. > :08:23.redundancies to the impact on his pupils' education. It's not just
:08:24. > :08:26.him, but many other headteachers across Sunderland who have expressed
:08:27. > :08:32.similar concerns. These concerns were reflected in a meeting held in
:08:33. > :08:44.Sunderland recently with around 30 head teachers and school governors,
:08:45. > :08:47.who all agreed our schools are in a crisis point. This led to me
:08:48. > :08:49.securing this debate today. The genuine worries of those head
:08:50. > :08:51.teachers and school governors were real, and it showed just how
:08:52. > :08:54.concerned they were about the education of the next generation. I
:08:55. > :08:58.have never, in all my 12 years as an MP, been in a situation where
:08:59. > :09:01.headteachers are expressing the gravity of their concerns. If the
:09:02. > :09:07.Minister had been at that meeting, he would've had his eyes truly
:09:08. > :09:11.opened to the extent of his actions. One head teacher from Sunderland
:09:12. > :09:14.said that if they did not see any support from the government for
:09:15. > :09:21.their school, it would mean losing five teachers, which would mean they
:09:22. > :09:26.are not like legal regarding the pupil to teacher ratio. The true
:09:27. > :09:28.scale of this issue was described extremely well by another
:09:29. > :09:34.headteacher at the meeting, he said that balancing the budget had always
:09:35. > :09:40.been hard, under successive governments. But these cuts would be
:09:41. > :09:45.impossible to achieve, she said. She ended by saying, this cannot be
:09:46. > :09:51.done. No joke, not kidding or exaggerating. Following that
:09:52. > :09:54.meeting, a joint letter from headteachers in our region, and some
:09:55. > :09:59.of the members are here today from that part of the region, the letter
:10:00. > :10:05.appealed to parents to make their voices heard to the government
:10:06. > :10:09.regarding this. I am proud to stand with my local headteachers and
:10:10. > :10:13.school governors and parents, who are deeply concerned about this
:10:14. > :10:17.issue and urge the Minister to rethink his disastrous plans, which
:10:18. > :10:20.will affect the lives of children and young people across the
:10:21. > :10:26.north-east and other parts of England. To help the Minister along,
:10:27. > :10:29.I will beat him an extract of the letter to parents, to help them
:10:30. > :10:35.understand what is happening on the ground. I think this is
:10:36. > :10:39.unprecedented for teachers across the labourers to get together and
:10:40. > :10:43.write to parents in this way. I quote, school leaders in a region
:10:44. > :10:48.have endeavoured to make every conceivable cut to our spending, but
:10:49. > :10:54.are now faced with reducing basic services still further, alter the
:10:55. > :10:58.disadvantage of your child.". Teachers do not go into this
:10:59. > :11:01.provision to make life hard for children and to make cuts, they do
:11:02. > :11:06.it because they want to help transform the lives of all children,
:11:07. > :11:10.especially those who need extra support the most. But what we're
:11:11. > :11:15.seeing is the exact opposite, all do to this government's shocking
:11:16. > :11:19.failures. As someone who has campaigned for 12 years to improve
:11:20. > :11:22.the lives of children are junk people, especially those living in
:11:23. > :11:28.poverty, I feel to see how the current actions of this government,
:11:29. > :11:31.when it comes to education system, will help alleviate any issues of
:11:32. > :11:42.child poverty and disadvantage in our society. Thank you for giving
:11:43. > :11:46.way and for calling this debate. The points she is making about education
:11:47. > :11:52.in deprived areas and social mobility. The comprehensive school I
:11:53. > :11:57.went to has announced it will be cutting 24 staff posts, including
:11:58. > :12:01.three teachers. The headteacher says she is making every effort to make
:12:02. > :12:04.sure that does not impact on their learning experience, but which my
:12:05. > :12:09.honourable friend agree with me that, at a time when we need to
:12:10. > :12:12.enhance the skills of the future of every child depends on that
:12:13. > :12:17.education, and social mobility and social equality is such an issue,
:12:18. > :12:25.that to be cutting education in this way cannot be accepted? I totally
:12:26. > :12:29.agree. Education is a critical way of reducing poverty in society. It
:12:30. > :12:34.equips children and young people with the knowledge and tools to get
:12:35. > :12:38.on in life, but also the best schools inspire them to go on and
:12:39. > :12:47.achieve their dreams. In the north-east, this is crucial, where
:12:48. > :12:50.we see an extra 132,000 children living in entrenched, generational
:12:51. > :12:57.poverty. That is why these cuts are deeply worrying to those of us who
:12:58. > :13:02.represent seats in the north-east, as the children we represent need
:13:03. > :13:06.the service. Poverty impacts the attainment of children in our
:13:07. > :13:13.society, and this was clearly documented in 2015, when GCSE
:13:14. > :13:19.results were analysed, and assured that 36.7% of disadvantaged pupils
:13:20. > :13:25.received five a to C grades, compared with 64.7% of all pupils.
:13:26. > :13:29.In this country, that is a strong correlation between parental social
:13:30. > :13:33.background and children's test scores, compared with other
:13:34. > :13:38.developed countries, where this is less the case. This is compounded by
:13:39. > :13:43.the fact that children from some of England's most disadvantaged areas
:13:44. > :13:46.are 27 times more likely to go to an inadequate school than a child
:13:47. > :13:55.living in one of the least deprived areas. That's why it is important
:13:56. > :13:57.that schools are used as a conduit to alleviate some of the issues
:13:58. > :14:00.children in poverty face and make sure they get the best start in life
:14:01. > :14:04.full top poverty is not inevitable, we don't need to see poverty in our
:14:05. > :14:10.society. What poverty tells us is we have failed to address the issues
:14:11. > :14:17.which cause poverty, due to a lack of political will, in midst of
:14:18. > :14:22.thinking and a drive to act. -- innovative thinking and a drive to
:14:23. > :14:25.act. We are seeing further separation and divisions caused.
:14:26. > :14:29.This is seen quite plainly in the government's pet project, where they
:14:30. > :14:35.plan to pump billions of taxpayers money into grammar schools and the
:14:36. > :14:38.ruling out more free schools and academies. Instead of supporting
:14:39. > :14:43.what parents and teachers are calling for, which is to fund
:14:44. > :14:47.schools properly. This is being brought to light just today in the
:14:48. > :14:55.publication this morning, of the Public Accounts Committee's report,
:14:56. > :14:59.calling the policy wasteful, spending over the odds on new
:15:00. > :15:03.schools and free school places in areas where demand is not needed.
:15:04. > :15:09.Why can't we take some of this wasteful money that the Public
:15:10. > :15:12.Accounts Committee, it is cross-party, they know what they're
:15:13. > :15:18.talking about, and use it to mitigate these terrible funding cuts
:15:19. > :15:22.are schools are facing. The Minister must rethink his and his
:15:23. > :15:25.department's approach to education, for the sake of the children who
:15:26. > :15:29.live in my constituency, but also those of other MPs across the
:15:30. > :15:33.north-east. Our education system should be funded fully and fairly,
:15:34. > :15:37.so they can not only educate our children, but use their power to
:15:38. > :15:42.help improve our society also. I hope the Minister will listen to
:15:43. > :15:46.this debate and take all other concerns into consideration,
:15:47. > :15:52.especially those of teachers and parents. Investing in education is
:15:53. > :15:56.investing in our children's and in Britain's future. Those children in
:15:57. > :16:00.the classroom today are our future workforce, who will take our country
:16:01. > :16:04.on to greater things, if only be give them the chance to do so.
:16:05. > :16:14.Failing to support them now would be to Strasse is -- disastrous for our
:16:15. > :16:19.future and will almost order problems. I hope he understands what
:16:20. > :16:22.this means and will go back to officials following this debate and
:16:23. > :16:28.consider his approach to funding our schools. Our children deserve no
:16:29. > :16:31.less. This house has considered school funding in the north-east of
:16:32. > :16:40.England. I'm looking at how many members are looking to speak in the
:16:41. > :16:44.debate. We have about 50 minutes. I have six members. I think we can
:16:45. > :16:48.work out for ourselves, it's about eight minutes. If you can keep
:16:49. > :16:54.within that time, that would be really helpful. I will call and Mary
:16:55. > :16:59.Trevelyan next. It is an honour to be able to speak on this last day
:17:00. > :17:03.and I congratulate my honourable colleague from Sunderland for
:17:04. > :17:07.securing this debate. But it is disappointing not to hear, while
:17:08. > :17:11.talking about school funding, some of the impressive improvements we
:17:12. > :17:14.have seen across the north-east. There have been some really
:17:15. > :17:17.impressive things going on around the region, children really getting
:17:18. > :17:25.the benefit of the improvements we have seen through the education
:17:26. > :17:28.framework, to hone in on what is important and make sure children are
:17:29. > :17:33.getting the very best possible education, right from those early
:17:34. > :17:36.years, all the way through. Speaking as the member for
:17:37. > :17:40.Berwick-upon-Tweed, right up in the northern reaches of our region, we
:17:41. > :17:46.have perhaps a different set of challenges to many of the colleagues
:17:47. > :17:53.here today, in that I have very many small schools, for none of whom the
:17:54. > :17:59.pressures are challenges on places, it is about transport and staying
:18:00. > :18:04.open, when they have small numbers and erratic numbers of children. The
:18:05. > :18:11.arrival of Ofsted can be really good in one year and not so good in
:18:12. > :18:15.others, because it varies so much. In Berwick itself, we have one high
:18:16. > :18:19.school, which the Minister visited some years ago. We were very pleased
:18:20. > :18:28.to welcome him there. The challenge we have now is that this school has
:18:29. > :18:34.a fixed cost, as all schools do, with a sixth form. The next school
:18:35. > :18:40.is 30 miles away, and if you are choosing college rather than 61, the
:18:41. > :18:46.challenges 60 or 70 miles away, a very long way from Berwick. The
:18:47. > :18:50.challenge is to make sure we can maintain the full provision of
:18:51. > :18:55.education in that far-flung school, right up on that Scottish border.
:18:56. > :19:00.What I would pitch, if I may, on this last day before we head into
:19:01. > :19:03.the election madness that will follow, is that one of the things
:19:04. > :19:08.department is to be thinking about more fully is how to use the budget
:19:09. > :19:14.more effectively and how we encourage schools to use modern
:19:15. > :19:22.online learning tools, thereby needing eight capital investment to
:19:23. > :19:25.do so, so the children in these schools, how come these children
:19:26. > :19:31.access the high-tech learning skills they need, so they can work in
:19:32. > :19:34.industries which the north-east is growing and becoming world leading.
:19:35. > :19:38.I would challenge the Minister to think about how we actually change
:19:39. > :19:45.the nature of the education we give our children, to have a number of
:19:46. > :19:50.pupils to teacher ratio is important in the younger ages, but as you go
:19:51. > :19:53.up their age groups, the opportunity to draw an excellent education from
:19:54. > :20:00.around the world. My son has recently been teaching himself to
:20:01. > :20:04.write computer code, because that was something of interest, use a
:20:05. > :20:09.Stamford University online tool. It was free, but what he needed was a
:20:10. > :20:13.computer and broadband. Begin now speak on this very strange language
:20:14. > :20:18.and he can do stuff at school. This was not available to him at school,
:20:19. > :20:23.he was doing it off his own bat. Access to those sorts of tools,
:20:24. > :20:26.they're not expensive, they require less technical investment. The
:20:27. > :20:32.encouragement to schools to think more broadly about how we use
:20:33. > :20:42.funding. The children can jump in terms of their attainment, so that
:20:43. > :20:47.we can be world leaders. Thank you for giving way. Online learning and
:20:48. > :20:51.the transformative impact of digital technology, which you agree with me
:20:52. > :20:58.that the government's plans for a universal service obligations for
:20:59. > :21:04.broadband by 2020 are far too little and far too late? I support and have
:21:05. > :21:08.campaigned, as you know, very hard to make sure we got back into the
:21:09. > :21:19.digital economy Bill. Speaking as someone for whom one megabyte is a
:21:20. > :21:23.good day for us. It is still a challenge, but we're getting there
:21:24. > :21:31.and I think we have kicked the system into a more proactive
:21:32. > :21:34.premise. I agree that getting that across-the-board is absolutely
:21:35. > :21:40.vital. It will be no bid to my constituents to see Newcastle with
:21:41. > :21:45.super fast at 100 megabytes, that are still good to us, because we
:21:46. > :21:47.still can't download a basic bow to do all right. We do need to make
:21:48. > :21:56.sure that spreads across the nation to every home. Talking about one
:21:57. > :22:00.other thing that she raised, which was about the levy that is is
:22:01. > :22:04.proving further small schools in Northumberland to be a problem.
:22:05. > :22:10.Councils have been given the freedom to pass that levy fee on, but for a
:22:11. > :22:15.small school, where a bill for several thousand pounds has appeared
:22:16. > :22:17.a few weeks ago, that small school was not good to take up the
:22:18. > :22:37.opportunity of an apprenticeship. Local authorities in my area have
:22:38. > :22:40.suffered tens of thousands, tens of millions of pounds worth of carts.
:22:41. > :22:43.They expect them to pick that up or should be Government offer a
:22:44. > :22:47.concession in that area and do away with it for schools? I think the
:22:48. > :22:53.honourable member for his intervention. The question is how it
:22:54. > :22:56.is used. As far as I'm concerned, there are many schools, many larger
:22:57. > :23:00.schools for whom the levy is a reasonable price to pay because they
:23:01. > :23:04.will have the opportunity to benefit from reaching out for a apprentices
:23:05. > :23:08.and increasing a cohort of staff in that way, but we need to be a bit
:23:09. > :23:16.more flexible and encourage councils to think more constructively in how
:23:17. > :23:20.they charge that levy. Of course. I thank the honourable lady forgiving
:23:21. > :23:24.way. I never constituents, constituency angiography speaks well
:23:25. > :23:33.for the schools within two great effect. On the levy, I heard records
:23:34. > :23:35.in primary school mentioned, the headteacher mentioned the cuts he
:23:36. > :23:39.has to make me. He has been touch with me this morning to say this has
:23:40. > :23:43.already started and today, any has already had to tell his apprentice,
:23:44. > :23:48.Liam, that he will have to let him go because of apprenticeship levy.
:23:49. > :23:53.This is exactly the point that my friend back is making. This just
:23:54. > :23:57.seems ludicrous. Because he now has to pay however many thousands of
:23:58. > :24:02.pounds in the apprenticeship levy, he cannot keep the apprentice. He
:24:03. > :24:05.said the apprentice was excelling himself in his apprenticeship. Does
:24:06. > :24:12.she agree that this really needs to be looked at? I thank the honourable
:24:13. > :24:17.member for her intervention. One of the challenges I found as a new MP
:24:18. > :24:20.here is that the policy is a good one, but delivering it on the ground
:24:21. > :24:25.and making sure a simple phrasing of words anyway it has been setup does
:24:26. > :24:29.not negate common-sense thinking, which means this school is happy to
:24:30. > :24:32.pay into the levy port but they happen to already have an apprentice
:24:33. > :24:36.and that does not mean they should be excluded by a programme going
:24:37. > :24:41.forward. I hope, at a local level, that can be resolved rather than
:24:42. > :24:43.just being considered and impossible, insoluble problem
:24:44. > :24:48.because of the sort of issues that would never have been intended in
:24:49. > :24:53.the policy. One last issue, speaking as a member of the Public Accounts
:24:54. > :24:57.Committee on a report that has been published yesterday, some of the
:24:58. > :25:00.challenges of how free school money has been spent, there is a great
:25:01. > :25:06.amount of good work going on there. In Berwick-upon-Tweed, we are
:25:07. > :25:09.looking to create an autism school because there is an enormous gap
:25:10. > :25:15.across the north-east, particularly in rural areas, but across the
:25:16. > :25:20.north-east for provision for our autistic children. I revert to my
:25:21. > :25:24.computer geeks son, whose as burgers get mentioned more than he was like
:25:25. > :25:31.in Hansard these days, but we have been able to keep them going with
:25:32. > :25:36.the extraordinary support of teachers. -- asbergers. There is a
:25:37. > :25:41.different level of teaching which autistic children across the
:25:42. > :25:47.spectrum required. We have very much to create, through the flu stomach
:25:48. > :25:49.free school network, that we can give people the flexible agenda
:25:50. > :25:52.board for parents and teachers who understand the particular need, in
:25:53. > :25:57.this case, that special needs provision, to bring that to an area
:25:58. > :26:00.in which we hope we can reach out across the region for support for
:26:01. > :26:05.those families. The children have enormous potential, particularly in
:26:06. > :26:15.the IT and engineering Sears, which are key skill sets of the
:26:16. > :26:21.north-east's businesses, -- spheres. We have a incredible amount of
:26:22. > :26:25.autistic children who require the support. The signs is not entirely
:26:26. > :26:29.fine tuned, but the more engineers you put together, the more autistic
:26:30. > :26:32.children you have. It is a spectrum and we create more and more of
:26:33. > :26:36.these, mostly young men, but some of them are women. There is a different
:26:37. > :26:40.pattern required for learning, and we get some extraordinary
:26:41. > :26:43.individuals for whom we can use great skills for our economy. I
:26:44. > :26:54.would encourage that we continue with the free school system. Thank
:26:55. > :26:59.you. I would like to congratulate the member, my honourable friend,
:27:00. > :27:06.for getting this debate Tuesday because it is very well done and it
:27:07. > :27:11.is on a very important subject. -- today. There want to pay tribute to
:27:12. > :27:18.the member macs for Middlesbrough, Hartlepool who will be leaving our
:27:19. > :27:24.ranks now and I'm really sad to see them go. They have been great
:27:25. > :27:29.representatives for their constituencies over the last year.
:27:30. > :27:33.In the last few years. This is a very important issue. Education,
:27:34. > :27:40.education, education was the mantra of the last Labour Government and
:27:41. > :27:43.that the mantra is now finished, it is no longer bear under the current
:27:44. > :27:51.governments. If you would be figures on funding, on the funding of
:27:52. > :27:54.schools, you just need to look at what Debbie county council said
:27:55. > :28:02.about the effect of these funding cuts will have on schools in the
:28:03. > :28:06.county. The funding formula leads to redundancies -- Derby Council. They
:28:07. > :28:11.become unviable. 50% of primary schools will see cuts, a great
:28:12. > :28:15.percentage of secondary schools as well. 111 primary schools will see a
:28:16. > :28:27.reduction of around ?10,000 on average. Between 21 and 31 secondary
:28:28. > :28:32.schools will see a loss of around ?15,000. This comes at a time when
:28:33. > :28:38.the ATL have done a survey on schools about funding that is now
:28:39. > :28:41.required for dot-mac from parents. Parents are now being asked to pay
:28:42. > :28:50.for school places, sporting events to help fund and fill those gaps.
:28:51. > :28:56.There been asked to find schools, 60% of schools say funding is being
:28:57. > :29:00.cut. 90% of schools has said they are pessimistic about future
:29:01. > :29:05.funding. Parents are paying an average of ?20 per week to their
:29:06. > :29:09.local school to keep it going. Sport events, school concerts, art and
:29:10. > :29:17.design materials, textbooks, library books, ITN sport equipment, parents
:29:18. > :29:20.are being asked to fund. 44% of schools are renting out buildings
:29:21. > :29:26.and even now, some of them are renting out their car parks. This is
:29:27. > :29:30.representative, reflective of something that happened before. I
:29:31. > :29:43.remember, during the 1990s, under the worst terror, Tory Government,
:29:44. > :29:47.my children -- last Tory Government. They had to pay for their own
:29:48. > :29:53.textbooks, pencils, equipment and it is now going full circle. This is
:29:54. > :29:58.much worse. My old school, the one I attended quite a while ago now...
:29:59. > :30:11.LAUGHTER Know! Has been rebuilt, fantastic
:30:12. > :30:15.facility, fantastic teaching staff, fantastic children who want to learn
:30:16. > :30:23.to get onto as biology do the best they can in their lives. Just
:30:24. > :30:27.recently, it is now being told by the time is that it is now one of
:30:28. > :30:35.the top 50 state schools in the country. -- The Times. That is
:30:36. > :30:43.fantastic news. The edifice of that, the way that was established was by
:30:44. > :30:46.what a previous Labour, -- previous Labour Government did. When I
:30:47. > :30:49.compare to what it was like all those years ago, it has been
:30:50. > :30:53.transformed. The previous Labour Government helped to achieve that
:30:54. > :31:00.and I'm really proud of our record going forward. For what we have done
:31:01. > :31:08.for that school. The teacher, David Davis, said schools face the
:31:09. > :31:15.prospect of being unable to heat classrooms and being... Making sure
:31:16. > :31:19.that only subject that need to be available are available. This is one
:31:20. > :31:23.of the heads of one of the top schools in the country said it was a
:31:24. > :31:26.complete and utter myth that the Government was protecting school
:31:27. > :31:31.budgets. That is from one of the best, top 50 headteachers in the
:31:32. > :31:36.country. In recent years, he said we have seen tensions, contributions
:31:37. > :31:40.cleared, as well as moderate pay rise and no increase in the budget.
:31:41. > :31:45.Schools in the north-east, schools in the north-east, schools in the
:31:46. > :31:50.region, they have been told they will have millions to spend on
:31:51. > :32:00.education if refunded at the average. The National Audit Office
:32:01. > :32:06.said that cuts have been the equivalent of ?3 billion by 2020,
:32:07. > :32:12.119 million pounds in real terms cuts for the north-east, equivalent
:32:13. > :32:17.to 3200 teachers. The National Audit Office has also said the north-east
:32:18. > :32:24.faces an 8% real term reduction in education. Mr Davies, the
:32:25. > :32:26.headteacher at Sedgefield comprehensive, has said this means
:32:27. > :32:31.schools having to reduce services which could include only eating
:32:32. > :32:33.classrooms for part of the day, reduced investment in school
:32:34. > :32:40.buildings, IT facilities being stretched beyond their usable life
:32:41. > :32:45.and expensive subject being cut, like music and design technology. He
:32:46. > :32:49.went on to say that it is our responsibility to provide the best
:32:50. > :32:52.possible education, but ultimately parents need to be aware that the
:32:53. > :33:01.future of their sons and daughters is at risk with the Scots. -- these
:33:02. > :33:04.cuts. I'm a big believer in aspiration and people getting on,
:33:05. > :33:10.what you do not achieve it when you have the kind of cuts that my school
:33:11. > :33:13.am not Sedgefield but around the north-east, are facing. When your
:33:14. > :33:18.teachers coming out, like David Davis, saying... Passing those
:33:19. > :33:21.remarks to local newspapers, you know that you really have a problem.
:33:22. > :33:27.One that the governor needs to address. I just want to add a little
:33:28. > :33:35.bit of data for comparisons of schools and secondary schools in my
:33:36. > :33:39.constituency. Business and enterprise College, ?253,000 cut by
:33:40. > :33:46.changing the budget reductions. By 2019. The equivalent of six
:33:47. > :33:53.teachers. Greenfield Trinity College, 14 teachers. Can you just
:33:54. > :33:58.clarify that you're talking about cutting the funding to the School of
:33:59. > :34:04.other the figures are of course pressures facing those schools? It
:34:05. > :34:08.is different from income. It is not semantics. At Sedgefield, as a
:34:09. > :34:12.consequence to the national funding formula, income to schools in
:34:13. > :34:17.Sedgefield goes up under the national funding formulae to be
:34:18. > :34:21.?100,000 and a 0.7% rise in income. You talking about cost pressures?
:34:22. > :34:27.Just so we have a transparent, honest debate about school funding.
:34:28. > :34:30.These figures are the ones that have been courted by teachers. The
:34:31. > :34:35.headteachers are the ones who know what the budget pressures are. They
:34:36. > :34:38.say that the budgets are being cut. They say they are under pressure,
:34:39. > :34:44.they are losing funds to the equivalent of the number of teachers
:34:45. > :34:49.that are mentioned. The equivalent of five teachers at Woodland
:34:50. > :34:52.economy. 90 jobs elsewhere. Another excellent school in my constituency,
:34:53. > :34:58.Sedgefield comprehensive, 11 teachers. And well field can induce
:34:59. > :35:04.Gold, nine teachers of it is the equivalent of cutting the budget and
:35:05. > :35:10.cutting it by ?2.2 million. When you have every headteacher in a borrow
:35:11. > :35:15.that is part of my constituency, that takes in the role aspects of
:35:16. > :35:18.Darlington. Every headteacher from primary schools and secondary
:35:19. > :35:23.schools, 39 of them, have written to all their parents to point out the
:35:24. > :35:27.dangers to the education of their children because of the changes do
:35:28. > :35:33.formulas and got, and pressures on budget between now and 2020. I'm not
:35:34. > :35:38.going to give way. You got plenty of time. The Minister can make these
:35:39. > :35:45.comments at the end. I just want to get through these points. These
:35:46. > :35:53.people want to make their comments. Also, primary schools, for example.
:35:54. > :35:58.Budget changes, there is a school in Darlington, my patch, under ?25,000
:35:59. > :36:04.of the primary schools in Sedgefield, Hardwick, Sedgefield
:36:05. > :36:09.primary School, ?120,000 of changes in budget. You can shake it up
:36:10. > :36:13.anywhere you want, Minister, but this is affecting schools and
:36:14. > :36:16.teachers, and pupils, and the headteachers are coming out and
:36:17. > :36:21.saying this, so it is obviously a problem. We can trade figures left,
:36:22. > :36:23.right and centre but it is the headteacher that know what is
:36:24. > :36:28.happening on the ground. Before I finish, just want to raise one
:36:29. > :36:34.issue, which is not related to funding but is of importance to me.
:36:35. > :36:39.It is certainly important to my pupils in Greenfield School, who
:36:40. > :36:43.have been to see me recently. Christine Davies, Adam Morgan and
:36:44. > :36:48.Melissa Foster, they have been to see me concerned about the new GCSEs
:36:49. > :36:55.where they are treated differently in secondary schools to public
:36:56. > :37:06.schools. Only 7% of pupils are actually in education. 93% are in
:37:07. > :37:10.state schools. Thank you much giving ways. The points he is making, would
:37:11. > :37:14.you agree with me that the overrepresentation of the privately
:37:15. > :37:17.and publicly school educated in positions of power on the benches
:37:18. > :37:22.opposite, together with the accession of preschools and grammar
:37:23. > :37:26.schools that this Government has, means that it is impossible for them
:37:27. > :37:29.to understand the budgeting and funding pressures and what they mean
:37:30. > :37:34.for the experience of our young people?
:37:35. > :37:44.I think that is an element of truth in that and it also comes down to
:37:45. > :37:51.what I'm going to say no, and I'd like to hear the minister's comments
:37:52. > :37:59.on it. In state schools, about 40% of your coursework went towards new
:38:00. > :38:02.GCSE. Now you can do that. In a public school, you do have the
:38:03. > :38:08.chance to do that, and is still recognised by employers. The people
:38:09. > :38:14.that have been to see me from Greenfield School have said, why
:38:15. > :38:19.can't we have a level playing field? If it's going to be that you can't
:38:20. > :38:23.have 40% of your coursework counted towards you GCSE, why can't it be
:38:24. > :38:27.the same in public schools as well? They just want a level playing
:38:28. > :38:31.field. They want everyone to be treated the same. Why is it that
:38:32. > :38:37.just because you can afford to pay for your child's education, they
:38:38. > :38:41.have a better chance in life than most parents, 93% of them, who don't
:38:42. > :38:48.have the opportunity to send the child to public school. Just make it
:38:49. > :38:52.a level playing field, because it is affecting the aspirations and social
:38:53. > :38:57.mobility of our children and it is fundamentally unfair. I'd like to
:38:58. > :39:02.hear the minister's... He can shake his head. I have pupils and
:39:03. > :39:06.headteachers coming to see me about this issue. It is fundamentally
:39:07. > :39:13.unfair when people in public schools get a better chance in life than
:39:14. > :39:16.those people who send their children to state schools. I'm going to wind
:39:17. > :39:21.up now and the Minister can answer all these as he wants and I'm sure
:39:22. > :39:28.he will. But that is a fundamentally unfair system that we are in and it
:39:29. > :39:33.needs to be addressed. Do you see this, you have the members opposite
:39:34. > :39:40.shaking their heads. Am I surprised at that? No, I am not, because they
:39:41. > :39:48.do not believe it is unfair. Seven minutes guideline, please. It is a
:39:49. > :39:54.pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I want to start by
:39:55. > :39:59.congratulating my honourable friend for securing this important debate.
:40:00. > :40:05.I also want to pay tribute to the work of my honourable friend from
:40:06. > :40:12.Middlesbrough South and Cleveland and Hartlepool. I think they will be
:40:13. > :40:18.very much missed by our colleagues. The proposal further funding formula
:40:19. > :40:26.is neither fair nor will it properly fund schools. As other members have
:40:27. > :40:30.pointed out already, the proposed freeze on funding is a cut in real
:40:31. > :40:37.terms as inflation and cost increase, which the National Audit
:40:38. > :40:42.Office has estimated will to 3 million funding gap. Across the
:40:43. > :40:49.country, it is estimated that 99% of schools will have a per pupil spend
:40:50. > :40:54.cut and schools in the north-east will be particularly badly hit. In
:40:55. > :40:57.my constituency in the City of Durham, I was appalled to know that
:40:58. > :41:08.some schools are projected to see their income per pupil decreased by
:41:09. > :41:17.almost a quarter from 2013 to 2019. On average, this equates to a ?305
:41:18. > :41:23.cut per pupil and an average cut of 7% for each school. But the figures
:41:24. > :41:30.for individual schools and paint a much bleaker picture. This
:41:31. > :41:35.particular concern is backed by the National union of teachers, and has
:41:36. > :41:42.estimated that one of the best performing schools in the country is
:41:43. > :41:49.set to lose ?613 per pupil, equivalent to the loss of 19
:41:50. > :41:54.teachers. This will have a huge impact on the school. A school in
:41:55. > :42:05.the north of my constituency is set to lose ?437 per pupil, Belmont
:42:06. > :42:09.community School more. And a community business College, which
:42:10. > :42:17.serves he really, really disadvantaged communities, will face
:42:18. > :42:23.a massive cut of ?961 per pupil. This is simply devastating for the
:42:24. > :42:28.school. Primary schools are affected as well, with Saint Oswald 's Church
:42:29. > :42:37.of England primary losing ?609 per pupil. A school in the most
:42:38. > :42:42.disadvantaged could community is losing more than ?900 per pupil.
:42:43. > :42:48.This is outrageous, and we need to hear something from the Minister
:42:49. > :42:52.about what he can possibly say to justify this level of cuts. This
:42:53. > :42:59.equates to the potential loss of 670 teachers within the local authority
:43:00. > :43:05.and a budget deficit of over 24 million by 20 19. This situation is
:43:06. > :43:10.terrible and needs to be addressed by adjusting the funding formula and
:43:11. > :43:15.putting more money into education. Overall, the north-east is estimated
:43:16. > :43:24.to lose 119 million in school funding in real terms by 2020. The
:43:25. > :43:27.loss of over 3200 teachers. And parents and teachers across Durham
:43:28. > :43:31.have been in touch with me, because they are really concerned about the
:43:32. > :43:36.situation. The Conservatives ran on a manifesto pledge in 2015 of
:43:37. > :43:39.protecting education funding, promising a real terms increase in
:43:40. > :43:46.the school budget in this Parliament. Not only have a field to
:43:47. > :43:52.keep this promise, they are bringing in cuts in real terms. The effects
:43:53. > :43:58.of this are damaging, subjects are cut from the curriculum, tables with
:43:59. > :44:02.special education needs are losing support, and teachers and school
:44:03. > :44:06.staff vacancies and left unfilled. Without additional money, the
:44:07. > :44:21.already severe crisis in schools will get worse. Threatening
:44:22. > :44:24.standards in education... In March of this year, I met with the
:44:25. > :44:27.National Association of Head Teachers in Parliament, who are
:44:28. > :44:33.unanimously deeply concerned about the cuts to school budgets. 72% of
:44:34. > :44:38.school leaders say their budgets will be unsustainable by 2019. And
:44:39. > :44:42.at a recent meeting with headteachers in my constituency,
:44:43. > :44:46.they said exactly the same thing. They are having to make impossible
:44:47. > :44:50.decisions. But what a difference this is to a decade ago under the
:44:51. > :44:53.Labour government, when I met headteachers on a regular basis to
:44:54. > :44:58.discuss where the investment was going to call, what new schools we
:44:59. > :45:03.would have, what new technology would have, what new skills through
:45:04. > :45:07.investing in. And what's happening is not only the government are not
:45:08. > :45:13.funding our schools properly, but they're wasting money in preschool
:45:14. > :45:19.that build on my constituency, we now have a proposal for another one.
:45:20. > :45:24.Total and utter waste of money. I also want very briefly to mention to
:45:25. > :45:30.the Minister about capital funding. Since all the schools were chopped
:45:31. > :45:37.off the list and we'll remember that, my schools were due to get
:45:38. > :45:41.money and funding plans, because there is desperately needed capital
:45:42. > :45:44.investment. That money has not been forthcoming under either the
:45:45. > :45:48.Coalition Government orders government. Not only that, the
:45:49. > :45:52.schools in question can't even get a meeting with the Minister to discuss
:45:53. > :45:55.buildings and how to replace those that are no longer fit for purpose.
:45:56. > :46:00.Perhaps when the minister gets to his feet, he will tell us what he is
:46:01. > :46:04.going to do and what is Treasury colleagues are going to do to put
:46:05. > :46:14.more money into schools, and what he's going to do in terms of capital
:46:15. > :46:20.funding. Thanks very much. I would like to congratulate also my
:46:21. > :46:27.honourable friend, the member for Washington and Sunderland West, for
:46:28. > :46:30.securing the debate. I 2am immensely proud of the progress made in our
:46:31. > :46:34.schools during the last Labour government. The money ploughed into
:46:35. > :46:38.nurseries and primary schools reaped benefits. I remember one secondary
:46:39. > :46:41.headteacher telling me that more and more children arriving at school
:46:42. > :46:46.were better equipped with higher levels of new Morsi and literacy
:46:47. > :46:50.than ever and ready for the secondary school curriculum. As the
:46:51. > :46:54.member for Berwick-upon-Tweed said, some of that improvement has been
:46:55. > :46:57.sustained, but that is because of the tremendous base at the Labour
:46:58. > :47:03.government put into schools during its time in office. Having seen the
:47:04. > :47:07.funding at levels needed in recent times, even parents are worried. But
:47:08. > :47:15.the gains made over a generation are actually now in jeopardy. A
:47:16. > :47:21.constituent wrote to me about her worries that her child's school
:47:22. > :47:26.faces an effective budget cut of ?86,576 over the next four years.
:47:27. > :47:30.That's a couple of teachers or maybe a few classroom assistants. And that
:47:31. > :47:43.picture is repeated across the Stockton borough. In 2015/2016, our
:47:44. > :47:48.allocation per pupil was ?4447, and that figure has stayed the same
:47:49. > :47:53.since 2010, while Marsh rate has increased. Do the schools funding to
:47:54. > :47:57.begin January, the schools minister admitted schools were facing cost
:47:58. > :48:01.pressures. The concerns were not about funding levels, but about
:48:02. > :48:05.ending the postcode lottery and making funding feared. I agree that
:48:06. > :48:11.our funding should be made fairer, but other factors need to be taken
:48:12. > :48:15.into consideration. If the new formula is fairer, why do Stockton
:48:16. > :48:22.children get less than the average? Of the 13 secondary schools in the
:48:23. > :48:27.borough, six face cash drop of 2.9%, while others expect an increase of
:48:28. > :48:37.less than 1%. Northfield gets a whopping zero point 1% and 0.2%.
:48:38. > :48:40.That is not the whole picture. The proposed national funding formula
:48:41. > :48:44.does not take into account other elements such as inflation, staff
:48:45. > :48:48.salary increases, other increases in resources the school may need.
:48:49. > :48:53.Having taken all the pressures into account, the vast majority of
:48:54. > :48:57.schools in England are likely to see real cuts in funding per pupil over
:48:58. > :49:04.the next three years. What'll happen? Teachers will get sacked.
:49:05. > :49:07.Class sizes will increase. Schools' ability to deliver a wide and
:49:08. > :49:13.diverse curriculum will be compromised. I expect we will see
:49:14. > :49:18.demand is increased on parents to fund everything from classroom
:49:19. > :49:21.essentials to extracurricular activities, which until recently
:49:22. > :49:30.was, schools have been able to provide. I would ask, what will
:49:31. > :49:33.happen to schools in my constituency. They serve some of the
:49:34. > :49:40.needy as communities in the country and they face budget cuts of 2.9 and
:49:41. > :49:43.2.3% respectively. So what are parents from their school is going
:49:44. > :49:47.to do when they're asked for cash to help their schools get through? We
:49:48. > :49:52.don't have the money! But it's the kids at the bottom end of the pile
:49:53. > :49:56.am worried about. Allocating funding via this formula will also increase
:49:57. > :49:59.the attainment gap, as students from deprived backgrounds may not have
:50:00. > :50:04.the same level of support at home as those from an affluent background.
:50:05. > :50:07.Honourable members know full well that the government formula is far
:50:08. > :50:11.from fear and is only based on current pupil numbers and doesn't
:50:12. > :50:18.take into account the increase of student numbers. The Minister may
:50:19. > :50:23.say that under proposals, Stockton will receive an increase overall,
:50:24. > :50:25.but that will not help maintain staffing and teaching and learning
:50:26. > :50:33.at current levels. The Minister mentioned cuts against pressures. It
:50:34. > :50:38.makes no odds whether it is a cut on a cost pressure. It means cuts to
:50:39. > :50:42.teachers, teaching assistants and other services. The Institute for
:50:43. > :50:49.Fiscal Studies recently reported that school spending is projected to
:50:50. > :50:53.fall by 6.5% in real terms between 2015 and 2019. This means that even
:50:54. > :50:57.the schools benefiting from the new formula have their gains completely
:50:58. > :51:01.wiped out by other funding pressures. This will undermine the
:51:02. > :51:04.quality of education in classrooms, pitting children's academic progress
:51:05. > :51:33.at risk. I know that even Tory colleagues now
:51:34. > :51:35.the government is letting our schools down and doubtless,
:51:36. > :51:37.ministers are working on special arrangements for particular areas.
:51:38. > :51:39.We've already seen it in social care. If ministers want to be fairer
:51:40. > :51:42.and funding, if they really do want to address that attainment gap, if
:51:43. > :51:45.they want every child to realise their potential, they need to take
:51:46. > :51:47.action now a nd make sure that no school and more importantly, no
:51:48. > :51:49.child actually loses thank you. I would like to congratulate my for
:51:50. > :51:54.securing this debate, which has given rise impassioned and very
:51:55. > :51:58.honest friends from Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and
:51:59. > :52:03.Hartlepool all the very best for the future. Last month, together with
:52:04. > :52:07.the Right Honourable member for Tynemouth, who has already submitted
:52:08. > :52:09.his apologies for today, I and wish our friends from Middlesbrough South
:52:10. > :52:12.and East Cleveland and Hartlepool all the very best for the future.
:52:13. > :52:14.Last month, together with the Right Honourable member for Tynemouth, who
:52:15. > :52:25.has already submitted his apologies for today, in their campaign to get
:52:26. > :52:28.the the meeting of head teachers from across our borough, about the
:52:29. > :52:30.effects of the government budget cuts on schools across North
:52:31. > :52:43.Tyneside. Both he and I felt we would do all we could to support our
:52:44. > :52:47.heads in their campaign to get that is of particular concern to
:52:48. > :52:50.community primary schools on North Tyneside, and that is the
:52:51. > :52:55.apprenticeship levy. We've already heard today of a ludicrous situation
:52:56. > :52:58.of a school in Washington and Sunderland West constituency to
:52:59. > :53:01.reverse these severe cuts, which as they stand, will affect not only the
:53:02. > :53:03.education of our children, but also cost as important skilled teaching
:53:04. > :53:06.jobs. But today, under the title of this debate, I would like to press
:53:07. > :53:08.further on something that is of particular concern to community
:53:09. > :53:10.primary schools on North Tyneside, and that is the apprenticeship levy.
:53:11. > :53:12.We've already heard today of a ludicrous situation of a school in
:53:13. > :53:15.Washington and Sunderland and this levy is placing an that may may have
:53:16. > :53:18.very small budgets. I've to point out at this stage that North on all
:53:19. > :53:21.the schools it affects, that may may have very small budgets. I would
:53:22. > :53:24.like to point out at this stage that North face of their have had to
:53:25. > :53:26.impose a levy and overly concerned about them and have raised their
:53:27. > :53:29.concerns with government, and all they can do in the face of their big
:53:30. > :53:32.is sympathise with these schools. I've been contacted by headteachers
:53:33. > :53:38.from our community primary schools, who pointed out the real and is
:53:39. > :53:40.sympathise with these schools. I've been contacted by headteachers from
:53:41. > :53:42.our community primary schools, who pointed out the real unfairness of
:53:43. > :53:45.the levy because academies are exempt from the levy and it eats up
:53:46. > :53:56.0.5 because academies are exempt from the levy and it