Friday 27 January 2017 Dear Kris Hopkins and Philip Davies, We Are

Friday 27 January 2017 Dear Kris Hopkins and Philip Davies, We are writing because as Headteachers of Primary schools we are all being forced, once again, to make some very difficult decisions. Last year we had to take drastic steps in our budgets which involved reducing staffing through not recruiting when staff left and having to make staff redundant, we appear to be in similar situations again. As school leaders, our moral purpose is to provide every child and family with the best education that is possible. As you walk around any of our schools you see dedicated professionals who want to make a difference for every child and provide them with skills that will help them in their future lives. We aspire to have a world leading education system and it is right that we do. However, we fail to understand how we can deliver this if the country does not fund it properly. There are huge financial pressures on our country, but we neglect the future of our country at our peril. In addition to other pressures in school budgets the Bradford Schools Forum has been put into a hugely difficult position because of the reduction in High Needs Provision funding. The gap in this funding has meant that to make provision for some of the most vulnerable in society, money has had to be taken from other children in the District to provide the funding needed. Our point is why does the Schools Forum have to make moral decisions that will mean that one group of children or another will miss out? The proposed National Funding Formula for Schools indicates that all our schools (and every school in your constituency) will lose a significant amount of funding from its implementation in April 2018. Combined with increasing employment costs and other charges, this will mean that we will face severe budgetary pressure resulting in losing staff, delaying purchasing of resources and sleepless nights for the people having to make the choices which culminate in providing a learning opportunity for every child which is not as good as it could be. Our vision as Headteachers is that every child deserves the best education and opportunities that we can provide. All we ask is that we are given the funding to do the job. Many ‘experts’ look at education and because they attended a school think they know everything about it, we are afraid that there is a huge amount more to educating the whole child than the bottom line on a spreadsheet. The overwhelming majority of Headteachers decided to do the job because like politicians we wanted to make a difference and we need the financial support to provide a world class system for every child. That would be a legacy and watershed moment in our country’s history. 1 We ask you, as a matter of urgency, to write to the Chancellor Philip Hammond to call on him to provide more money for our schools in the Budget in March. We would also like you contact Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening and ask her to revise the National Funding Formula so that Keighley and Ilkley schools do not lose out and that sufficient resources are given to the Formula for it to succeed. School budgets are being pushed beyond breaking point. We hope you can put pressure on the government to make sure schools in your constituency can continue to deliver for all pupils. Yours sincerely, Two Valleys Learning Collaborative. Headteachers of: Addingham Primary School - Hilary Cave. Aire View Infant School - Vicky Bottomley. All Saints’ C of E Primary School - Michele Robinson. Ashlands Primary School - Andrew Soutar. Ben Rhydding Primary School - Glen Hartford. Burley Oaks Primary School - Claire Lee. Burley and Woodhead C of E Primary School - Joanne Siddal. Eastburn Primary School - Jo Waterhouse. Hothfield Junior School - James Procter. Menston Primary School - Iain Jones. Steeton Primary School - John Cooper. 2 .

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