Fear of rising class sizes as schools face funding deficit [Guardian.co.uk]
- Published: 17 September 2009
About 2,000 primary and secondary schools are facing a deficit, with many forced to make redundancies and increase class sizes to cut costs - even before the widely predicted public spending cuts hit the education budget.
The Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures under the Freedom of Information Act, said the findings are the "tip of the iceberg" and that school standards will decline to levels not seen since the 1980s if education budgets are not protected in the looming cuts. The problem is being blamed on the current funding system, which is accused of not properly rewarding schools for teaching pupils in the poorest areas of the country. The local authorities worst affected include Haringey, north London, Knowsley in Merseyside, and Nottingham, which have some of the most entrenched educational problems in England.
Full Story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
