Schools facing cash shortfall (From Western Telegraph)

Schools facing cash shortfall

CASH-STRAPPED schools across Pembrokeshire are being forced to dig deep into over-stretched budgets to avert a crisis which could see classroom assistants manning classes while teachers take time out for lesson preparation and marking.

From September, under the terms of the new teachers' workload agreement, every full-time teacher will be entitled to half-a-day non-teaching during the week for planning, preparation and assessment. This equates to 10% of their teaching time.

The problem lies in the amount of money the National Assembly has allocated for manning the classrooms in their absence.

The Assembly is funding the necessary classroom cover at non-teaching rates, which means that schools can choose between having a learning support assistant in charge of a class or meeting the cost of qualified teachers from existing budgets.

If they choose the former, from September teacher contact time for pupils will be reduced to 4.5 days.

Stackpole VC School's governing body, in line with many others in Pembrokeshire, has expressed grave concern at this lack of funding and implied change of policy away from teacher-based education.

For the next academic year, Stackpole has increased the hours of a current part-time teacher to meet the additional teaching requirements, but this may not be sustainable in the long term.

Governing body chairman, Charlotte Pattenden, said a joint meeting of parents and governors had resolved to instruct Pembrokeshire's director of education, Gerson Davies, to pass on the concerns to the National Assembly Government.

"The great concern is the tendency of Central Government, as well as by the Assembly Government, of instigating reforms or changes without ensuring their full and proper funding, while at the same time devolving responsibility for the timely implementation of any such change down to the school and the school's governing body,'' Mrs Pattenden said.

Budgets, she insisted, were already very tight and schools didn't have the resources to spend over and above their existing allocation.

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council admits that it shares the concerns of head teachers and governors at any funding shortfall.

It insisted they were all working together to implement the changes in as 'effective a manner as possible'.

"The national agreement is about enhancing and enriching educational opportunities for all pupils,'' said a spokesman. "The county council has a duty to support schools in meeting their statutory obligations, with a focus on securing quality teaching and learning for all.''

The authority believed the national agreement provided it with the opportunity to create conditions in which teachers and support staff can work together more effectively to meet the future needs of pupils.