Postponed | Worth Less? Campaign and visit to Downing Street on
27 September 2019
Message from Jules White, Worth Less? Coordinator
Dear colleagues,
After extensive consultation with headteachers, ‘Worth Less?’ has decided to postpone our planned march on 27 September 2019.
Following the Chancellor’s announcement on school funding it is prudent to assess what the proposed injection of cash will mean for our schools. Any new money is welcome, of course, but we need time to assess its real terms impact in the short and medium terms. As significantly, the prevailing political climate is so turbulent that a march on Downing Street by headteachers, at this time, may appear imprudent.
What is clear, however, is that our relentlessly reasonable campaigning has placed schools and school funding at the heart of government thinking. We now have a much more powerful ‘voice’ than in times gone by. It has also been motivating and highly effective to see our profession come together in this way. The support, campaigning and enhanced collaboration by our professional associations, parents/public and influential groups such as f40, the NGA, SSAT, Heads Roundtable and the Sixth Form Colleges Association, has been terrific.
Whilst ‘Worth Less?’ may have a shelf life, there is still much to do. We are all aware that inflationary costs, expectations around social care, children’s emotional wellbeing and issues connected to salaries (teaching and support staff) are yet to be fundamentally resolved. We should also note that early years funding has been decimated and the High Needs/Special Needs funding block is in no way adequate. With this in mind, I would like to emphasise that the march is postponed rather than cancelled and if necessary, high profile action will be organised again if there is a need for it.
Further reading: Education Funding: Policy Research - The government’s one-year spending round: looking beyond the big numbers (03/09/19)
As an ultimate goal, a long-term plan which ensures that all early years, school, 16-19 and high needs provision is properly funded must be the way forward. We have a voice that is both effective and relentlessly reasonable and with everyone’s support we can achieve even more for the children, families and colleagues that we lead and support.
With best wishes,
Jules White - jwhite@ths.uk.net
Twitter @WorthLessFF Facebook @WorthLessWestSussex
 ESFA Update local authorities: 11 September 2019
Information: schools funding arrangements for 2020 to 2021
On Monday 9 September, Minister Gibb made a ministerial statement setting out the key aspects of the funding arrangements for schools and high needs for 2020 to 2021.
This statement included reference to the launch of the consultation about the implementation of the mandatory minimum per pupil funding levels.
We have written to our contacts at local authorities with the detail of the announcement to allow them to progress their planning. We will publish the schools operational guide by Friday 13 September and the high needs operational guide by early October.
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