Page 6 - link magazine

6 The Link Magazine • March 2001 www.swind

Beauty & Aromatherapist Cash for schools - classroom funding crisis
Fully qualified. I.I.H.H.T. A lack of money, a lack of teachers and Swindon's low standing in the government's funding league
Waxing, facials, manicures, tables is causing huge frustration amongst secondary school headteachers across the town who are
pedicures, massage. questioning whether they can continue to deliver the high quality education being demanded of them.
And parents will wonder, given the affluence of Swindon, why spending on education is so low
Telephone Carol on compared with other towns.
01793 886876
to book an appointment For the year 1999 - 2000, the previous financial year of £2,625, national average increase of 4.9
amount Swindon gave directly to the difference amounts to £502 per per cent.
its schools was well below the av- pupil. This means a 1,000 pupil One headteacher said, "Swindon's
erage: school in Swindon could get up to
COOPERS school are in a funding crisis. We
Swindon £2,372 £500,000 a year less than the aver- simply cannot go on delivering an
CHEMIST Similar town £2,598 agely funded English school. effective education in an authority
WEST SWINDON CENTRE English authorities £2,625 The Swindon education budget which does not provide sufficient
(Ofsted Performance & Data Analysis) increase for the current financial funding."
Fine fragrances, toiletries, year was five per cent. The in-
There are 149 local education au- Councillor Chris Eley, cabinet
ear piercing etc. crease for the next will be around
thorities in England and Swindon member for life-long learning, said
APS, developing & printing ranks 147 in its expenditure. three per cent, compared with the that Swindon has never been able
One free 35mm 24 exp film to escape from the historically low
Hence for 1999-2000 a Swindon
with every 35mm roll funding that it was given by the
secondary school received £226 per Swindon
developed on the premises pupil less than a school in a similar Conservative government when it
took over education in 1997.
Tel: 872033 sized local education authority, remembers "Swindon schools will be better
and £253 less than the national av- The national Holocaust remem- funded in 2001/2002 than they are
Open 7 days a week erage. berance day on 27 January was this year. However, until the Gov-
Mon - Fri gam - 8pm, However Swindon gets less from marked in the town by a ceremony ernment responds to the demands
Sat 9am - 6pm, Sun 10am - 3pm the government than other LEAs. in Old Town Gardens and an af- to change the formula (by which
Of the forty six unitary authori- ternoon of readings, talks and school funds are calculated), Swin-
ties, Swindon is the 39th worst thoughts at the Pilgrim Centre. don pupils will continue to be
Wootton Bassett funded. Compared with similar Drama pu ry " funded at much lower levels than
Physiotherapy towns, if Swindon received the pils from # s . pupils in many other LEAs. This
Greendown
& Sports Injury same funding as: School per- cannot be right and we continue to
press our claims for fair treatment."
Telford it would get £2.6 million
Clinic more formed their The council's dire financial prob-
play
'The
Slough - £15 million more Greetings of lems have been compounded by a
Mrs Lesley Catling £40 million deficit in its staff pen-
Milton Keynes -£4.3 million more Strangers' t`
MCSP Newbury - £0.8 million more. about the sion fund. This was caused by the
plight of previous government's decision to
Chartered And whilst funding for the town is Kosovan allow local authorities to redirect
poor, the distribution of money money away from pension funds
Physiotherapist between Swindon secondary refugees es- to maintain essential services in
caping to
schools is uneven. In the current the early 1990s because of low lev-
Tel: 01793 848424 financial year, according to the Britain. e els of poll tax payment. This prob-
A n n of
Mobile: 0378 553703 Council's schools budget state- Cullis of lem was created before Swindon
ment, the poorest funded second-
60 High Street Swindon took over education in 1997. Yet it
Wootton Bassett ary school gets £2,168 per pupil. Council cultural services said, should be noted that teachers con-
The highest funded school which "people felt it important to mark tribute to a separate pension fund
gets £2,486. (Schools also get the first memorial day; we've had which is not part of the general
BACK PAIN money direct from the government many positive comments." council pension fund.
which raises these amounts to
IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM: £2,233 per pupil and £2,752). The Mayor of Swindon coun The government announced in
Arthur Archer closed the day by January that the council would be
O Backache, Leg pain Comparing the lowest funded saying the town had always wel- permitted to spend some of the
O Neck, Swindon secondary school at comed newcomers from all over £93 million raised from the sale of
Shoulder, £2,168 in the current financial year the world including most recently the Brunel shopping centre on pay-
Arm Pain FREE and the national average of the refugees from Bosnia and Kosovo. ing the pension fund deficit which
O Headache Ctliro- means some of the £4 million be-
& Migraine checks ing paid annually to meet the pen-
O Sciatica availabl CHIROPODY sion obligation can be redirected
O Sports Injury CHIROPODIST into education and other essential
services. Headteacher leaders have
O Whiplash WILTSHIRE Advanced Reflexologist said that Swindon Council will
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER have to increase education spend-
CONSULTING A CHIROPRACTOR 76 Bridge Street & Kinesiologist ing by at least £20 million to make
inroads into the crisis facing
SANDRA E. DAVIES D.C. Swindon CLINIC AT HIGH STREET schools.
Shaw Chiropractic Clinic (01793) 511284 WOOTTON BASSETT • Swindon Council's education
Shaw Village Centre For an appointment with department will be inspected by
Tel: (01793) 887801 Mrs Lesley Taylor Ofsted in June. Ofsted recently
MBChA, MSSCh, MIIR, ASK reported that, from inspections of
Fax: (01793) 882298 For appointments 100 authorities that have already
Member of the British Chiropractic Freephone taken place, LEAs make little or
Association no contribution to raising educa-
0800 7316879 Call (01793) 849914
Member of the College of Chiropractors tional standards and one in five
General Chiropractic Council Reg. No. 00584 iw. my-clinic.co. uklchiropodywiltst anytime LEA is performing badly.