‘Give our school enough money’ ... children’s plea to education boss

Children at a village primary school have come out fighting in a campaign to win more funds for their school - and others in West Sussex.
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Youngsters at the school in Billingshurst are writing heartfelt letters to education secretary Damian Hinds urging him to meet up with headteachers to discuss the county’s school funding crisis.

The pupils say they want to make sure that Mr Hinds listens to the heads and their concerns that local schools are suffering severe effects from continuted budget cuts.

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And to make sure the education secretary listens to their pleas, the pupils are pledging to send a letter - signed by a different pupil - ‘every single day until he agrees.’

Billingshurst Primary School pupils are urging education secretary Damian Hinds to listen to headteachers over school funding  SUS-190321-144727001Billingshurst Primary School pupils are urging education secretary Damian Hinds to listen to headteachers over school funding  SUS-190321-144727001
Billingshurst Primary School pupils are urging education secretary Damian Hinds to listen to headteachers over school funding SUS-190321-144727001

In their letters the children state: “We are worried about our school and that it doesn’t have enough money to help us to learn.

“Please can you meet with the headteachers and talk to them about our future?In class when we have a problem we know that talking helps us find the answer.”

And they add: “If we were the boss of schools we would make sure they had enough money so that everyone can learn lots and lots.”

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The children have produced a video that is being shared on social media across the county to highlight their campaign #findtimeforfunding

Pupils at Billingshurst Primary School  pupils SUS-190321-144737001Pupils at Billingshurst Primary School  pupils SUS-190321-144737001
Pupils at Billingshurst Primary School pupils SUS-190321-144737001

#oneaday

Billingshurst Primary School headteacher Helen Williamson said: “All the children are asking for is for Mr Hinds to meet headteachers to discuss funding in schools.

“Children understand the importance of their education and the importance of talking about problems to solve them so they cannot understand why Mr Hinds would not want to listen to headteachers,

“The campaign is by the children but supported by the governors of the school to try and help effect a change in the Secretary of State’s approach to trying to reach a solution for the problems schools are facing.

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“We have had to deal with difficult financial decisions for the last four years. We have cut the number of teaching assistants, we have run on a reduced leadership team, cut spending on resources, cut spending on IT and the school buildings to almost nothing.

“We make difficult decisions every day and we are a school that has seen an increase in funding through the national funding formula. But it is still not enough.

“The problem is that not enough money is being spent on schools as costs rise, pupil numbers rise and the revenue does not rise to meet this.”