Message from Paul Walker, DAPH Chair and Matthew Shanks, DASH Co-Ordinator
Dear all,
As you may be aware, we have joined Devon up with 12 other local authorities in
an effort to change the current proposed NFF. We are now in the unprecedented
position of having 13 counties speaking as one, on behalf of all the students
in our care. We believe that this L E T T E R and S T A T E M E N T are our
most powerful communications to date.
Please could we ask you to follow
the instructions below rigorously.
Tomorrow, Tuesday 21 March - at 10am all 3,000 schools will send the letter and statement
to their local MP.
Please note each school has to insert an MP name and
their particular county / borough into the letter. If a headteacher wants to
send a covering letter that's fine. A copy of the letter /statement can also go
to parents. Visit this link for Contact details of all local MPs.
Media coverage and embargoes:
The following media coverage has been organised and it is crucial that we do
not break the timeframes set out as this is how we have gained national
coverage:
- BBC national news and BBC
online will carry the story from lunchtime on Tuesday 21 March - it seems
likely that they will visit schools in Devon or Cornwall.
- Channel 4 will cover the
story at 7.00pm March 21 on their news bulletin and they will visit a school in
Crawley, West Sussex (and possibly interview Matthew Shanks too).
- All of this of course, is at
the mercy of national news. If you're are contacted by local news then please
let the DAPH Office know as we have gained national news coverage (hopefully) on the basis that
exclusive rights are given. Hopefully, BBC will choose Devon over Cornwall, if
not then Spotlight are lined up but embargoed.
- Your local papers are
obviously welcome to see the letter and statement and record or prepare their
news pieces but they must not go out until the morning of Wednesday 22 March.
Hopefully then it's a free for all!
Clearly there is real unrest regarding the inadequacies of the NFF proposals
and the problems with unfunded costs and other government spending priorities.
We attach a link from a conservative MP speaking on Radio 4's 'Today
Programme' on Friday 17 March, which seems to set a new and much changed tone - we are
getting there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08hl5zf
Timings as follows: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: 1hr 17.25
Crucially, we all need to insist upon getting a new formula on the statute
book, but it must be much improved and certainly not abandoned.
We hope that this all makes sense. Please get in touch via the DAPH Office if there is a problem, or you have a question.
Best wishes,
Paul Walker (On behalf of DAPH) & Matthew Shanks (On behalf of DASH)
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