MP Helen Jones has expressed her fears that Warrington pupils will lose out under the school funding formula that the government are proposing during a debate in the House of Commons.
The Warrington North MP has re-iterated the fact that Warrington is one of the smallest funded authorities in the country and that schools in Warrington North were still losing out under the funding formula and were preparing to shed teachers and teaching assistants.
The MP accused the Secretary of State of not regarding these schools as being ‘underfunded’, and said: “ the 0.5% increase will not meet the costs imposed on them by staff pay rises, the apprenticeship levy and general inflation” and that, as a result; “ pupils in those schools will still lose out.”
7 Comments
Why not go one step better and Invite the responsible minster up to Warrington to meet with say yourself and head teachers. Together you could spell out the reality of the school funding formula and the impact on our schools. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain surely? How many other MP’s would attempt such a move? Bold and courageous might adequately describe an approach such as this and if you did so then it may even improve your reputation. If you feel that this is a step too far then why not at least press for a meeting in Westminster, and invite one of two head teachers down whose schools are suffering? Maybe it’s not conventional behaviour but what changes ever occur if you just simply play by the rules of convention? Because you see it’s all well and good to say your peace in a debate, and to point a finger at the government. But what then? What happens after that? Anything? Nothing?
What took you so long Billy? Thought you gone to sleep
Getting all defensive again are you Positron? You sound it. Well you like to ask questions of me so I shall do the same of you. Do you think that Helen should go the extra mile here and make direct contact with the schools minister and try and do something similar to what I have spelled out? Or are you quite happy to see her make a speech and then……? Nothing?
Defensive moi? You should change your nom de plume to Nick Nuancer or Billy Crossedwires, because you’re always drawing the wrong conclusions. I was drawing attention to the unusually long lead time between H J being mentioned and your entry into the fray (07:00 to 17:14 must be a record of sorts). On the topic of this article: I see little point in raising the issue of the funding of Warrington’s schools with anyone other than those whose job it is to fund them. Otherwise they would be like you and me Billy spouting off without a hope in hell of influencing anyone.
Have you got some kind of tracking device going on there detailing what I have posted and when? It must have been a slow day today eh 😉 Well at the risk of repeating myself do you believe that Helen could be doing far more than reading a pre-prepared speech in Parliament-such as asking for a meeting with the schools minister directly? What’s your opinion on that I wonder – do you think she could be doing much more than she is?
The devil is in the detail. Look at the article, you will see it was posted by Hannah Skentelberry on 20 July 2017 at 7:00 AM. Your first posting was at 5:14 PM, which translates to 17:14. It’s not rocket science. If you read a little further into what I wrote, you’ll also notice I have given you my view, which was not defensive.
Don’t worry – I know you are unable to criticise the MP. More than happy to criticise other elected individuals and organisations with impunity. But not Helen Jones. Never Helen Jones