Teachers, leaders, support staff and governors are joining forces
to lobby MPs for a better deal for schools, colleges and
children.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the
National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the National
Education Union (NEU), the National Governance Association (NGA)
and UNISON are organising a mass lobby of parliament on Tuesday
20 June.
Members will be highlighting to their MPs the unprecedented
crisis facing the sector as a result of the underfunding of
education, staff shortages caused by the government’s devaluing
of the workforce, and an accountability system of performance
tables and Ofsted inspections which is punitive and
counterproductive.
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said: “This lobby is about taking our message
directly to Westminster that our schools and colleges simply
cannot go on like this. They are desperately short of the key
resources that they need to function effectively – money and
staff. This is not an accident but the result of political
choices made by the government. Staff, students and parents all
deserve better.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT,
said: “Schools deserve a better deal than they are getting from
the government. For too long, government has underfunded and
undervalued education, and it is staff and pupils that have
suffered. We are lobbying to show the united voice of the
profession in saying enough is enough. Sustained real-terms
investment in schools, their staff, and children’s futures, is
desperately needed to reverse the harm caused by lack of
investment over the last decade.”
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National
Education Union, said: “Teachers, school leaders, governors and
parents will be coming to Westminster on 20 June to tell their
MPs why it is time to invest in education. The government needs
to invest in this generation of children and young people. If
ministers fund schools properly, they can start to address the
decline in teacher pay and tackle the worsening recruitment and
retention crisis in education. MPs should be left in no doubt
after this lobby that we need urgent action to save our schools.”
Emma Knights, Chief Executive of the National Governance
Association, said: “School governors and academy trustees tell us
that while their staff are making great efforts to provide a good
education for pupils, their challenges have been increasing.
These include families facing the cost-of-living crisis, more
pupils with SEND or mental health issues, lower rates of
attendance since Covid and sometimes crumbling buildings. They
are exacerbated by their staff shortages and by the withering of
other public services for families. Governing boards sign off the
budget, and given all the crucial demands, many have concerns at
being able both to balance the budget and reward staff next
year.”
UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “Education
should be given the priority it deserves. That means proper
investment to repair the years of neglect, and ensure children
and young people are given the opportunities they need. Spending
on individual pupils has dropped significantly since 2010, staff
are leaving for better paid jobs in supermarkets and school
buildings are falling apart. Pupils, parents and communities
deserve far better.”
