I am standing to be Labour’s Mid Dorset & North Poole parliamentary candidate because I’ve witnessed all too often the challenges faced by our young people as a direct consequence of savage Lib Dem and Tory cuts to our public services.
Good quality, free education is a human right, but it is increasingly difficult for schools to deliver due to successive cuts to school funding. Figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies show that next year 80% of schools will face a shortfall in per pupil funding in real terms compared with 2015.
Some schools are worried about provision for students with additional education needs because they feel they have insufficient staff and resources. Teaching assistants are being made redundant even though the support they provide is incredibly good value for money.
74% of secondary schools have narrowed their subject range – especially affecting creative subjects such as art and music.
Some schools feel like a branch of social services because they are being asked to fill gaps left by underfunded social services and youth mental health provision.
The Conservative manifesto has revealed a further £340 million of cuts to school budgets in 2023/24!
Only Labour has a costed plan to save our schools. We will ensure that a broad curriculum is offered to all students. We will fund school counsellors to provide mental health triage and first aid. We will demonstrate that we value Teaching Assistants and other forms of learning support as a means of ensuring that high needs students have equal access to learning.