Prescott ‘to tackle school funding crisis’
John Prescott has reportedly announced plans to set up an emergency task force to get to the bottom of the school funding crisis.
The Times reports that the Deputy Prime Minister controversially pulled rank on Charles Clarke at a meeting with council leaders where the Education Secretary came under heavy fire for his handling of the crisis.
Mr Clarke has accused local authorities of withholding £500 million worth of funding from schools and now the Deputy Prime Minister has signalled that a committee of Ministers and council leaders will investigate what led to the ‘missing millions’.
Teachers unions have welcomed the intervention. Doug McAvoy, NUT General Secretary, said: ‘The enquiry is necessary to assure parents and teachers that schools have the funding they need this year and through until 2006 and to reinforce the important role of LEAs.’
According to The Times, Mr Prescott interrupted Mr Clarke as he tried to defend his Department’s position – a move that is significant because it demonstrates the Ministers’ differing views over the future direction of funding.
The Deputy Prime Minister wants local councils to have more power but Mr Clarke would prefer schools to have more control.
Mr Clarke is thought to believe that a return to a system similar to grant maintained schools – which Labour abolished in its first term – is the long-term solution.
However, a system that cuts out local authorities is unlikely to be welcomed by local leaders. It would also re-ignite the debate within Government about how best to reform public services.
The official line from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is that the working group will report to Mr Prescott in July.
However, the Department for Education and Skills is reportedly playing down the significance of the committee as merely the first stage in the process of addressing the issue of school funding.
Rumours of a rift between the two Ministers have also been played down.
The majority of Mr Prescott’s committee is expected to be made up of people reflecting the views of local authorities.
The Times reports that the council representatives will include Sir Jeremy Beecham, chairman of the Local Government Association, Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, the Tory LGA vice-chairman, and one other council leader.
In addition, David Miliband, the Education Minister, Nick Raynsford, Local Government Minister and a Treasury Minister are expected to represent the Government.
The committee has been asked to report back within six weeks according to the paper – unfortunately, as Mr McAvoy points out: ‘within six days teachers and support staff will begin to receive redundancy notices’ as schools struggle to cope with escalating expenditure, exacerbated by the hike in national insurance and pension contributions.
Earlier this week, Edenham High School in Croydon, south London was forced to send 720 of its 1,200 pupils home after lunch because crippling funding problems meant that it could not afford to pay teachers to teach.
Mr McAvoy said: ‘The Government should immediately promise to provide any additional funding necessary to ensure that no teacher and no member of support staff is made redundant and that there is no worsening of staffing in any school because of inadequate funding.’
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