Council's SOS call - Save Our Schools

Councillor Donna Martin, Cabinet Member for Children's Services

Councillors are set to condemn the Tory government over a threatened £15M cut to school funding.

Under a new funding formula, Rochdale's secondary schools will lose over £7M.

The borough’s primary schools will lose £8M when the scheme is introduced over the next two years.

Cabinet member for children, Donna Martin, said: “Rochdale's schools have done a fantastic job in recent years in driving up standards and improving examination results. This will be put at risk by these unfair and unacceptable cuts in government funding to our schools.

"Schools are struggling to meet ever increasing costs as it is. This latest cut will mean fewer teachers; fewer teaching assistants; fewer GCSE options and fewer chances to take part in extra-curricular activities."

Deputy children's cabinet member Kieran Heakin said: "As a former headteacher I know schools make every penny count and ensure resources are always spent on the children. This latest ill-conceived experiment will damage children's education. It will bring even greater pressure on our schools. We need more not less funding."

A resolution before next week's Council meeting, the Chief Executive is asked to write a letter of protest to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education expressing the council's grave concerns and demanding the plans be scrapped.