Financial 'cake' is so small for schools (Somerset Liberal Democrat Group)

Somerset Liberal Democrat Group <info@somersetlibdems.org.uk>

Financial 'cake' is so small for schools

February 28, 2008 12:00 PM
By Cllr. Alan Paul in Somerset County Gazette

Somerset has 86 schools with fewer than 100 pupils, some with fewer than 20. The vast majority are excellent and under no threat of closure.

Somerset County Council has an excellent record of keeping as many schools as possible open at the centre of village life by extra funding and encouraging working together, such as sharing heads and governors where appropriate.

With falling numbers countywide, some schools are shrinking to the extent that two key questions have to be asked, and both are hard to answer.

How far should children at larger schools continue to subsidise children at very small schools?

I have three of the larger urban primaries in my area. They receive an average of £2,616 per pupil from the county council while the smallest school in Somerset receives £9,327 per pupil - 356% more.

Somerset Schools Forum, made up mainly of heads and governors elected by their fellows, have voted to make these sums a little more equal in the interests of fairness, not 'penny pinching', and the County Council has agreed.

It makes it more likely that a few schools will have to close - a difficult decision.

When does a school become so small that the children are disadvantaged, despite the extra funding?

When the Head teacher leaves, no-one applies for the job, few children are of the same age/gender, different ages are taught together and there may be very few local children attending, with the majority driven in from towns by parents who think village schools are better - another difficult decision.

Successive governments have put Somerset in this dilemma by giving us one of the smallest financial 'cakes' to share between our schools (in the worst 10% nationally) while insisting that 'small' schools should stay open, whatever the cost.

Alan Paul - county councillor for West Taunton.