Budget delays teaching staff cuts in Swansea
NO official decisions have been made on which teachers will lose their jobs as a result of severe budget cuts in Swansea — because schools still don't know how much money they have to spend.
Last month, the Post revealed head teachers feared at least 100 teachers and classroom assistants would lose their jobs after £4.5 million was taken out of the schools' budgets for the next year. However, although Swansea Council passed its budget last month, the authority has not told schools how big their budgets are and heads still don't know how much money they will be given to run their schools.
This means they are still unable to make staffing decisions, leaving teachers across the city wondering if they will still have a job in September.
Swansea Council said it expected to inform schools how big their budgets were next week. While the immediate impact of cuts will be on teachers and staff who lose their jobs, one head teacher said the reality would hit home when teachers and learning support assistants (LSAs) were not in front of children in September.
The head teacher said: "It will be the most vulnerable of pupils who will face a lack of support. Do the politicians who slashed school budgets realise the impact on pupils? It will be interesting to see how politicians react when they attend governors' meetings in the coming weeks."
Dylan Thomas school governor Dereck Roberts said: "The children are the ones who are going to lose out."
"We are going to lose a lot of good, experienced teachers. It is a grim situation."
Mr Roberts said: "There was a meeting on Monday of the association of governing bodies in Swansea.
"There were a lot of governors there — and a lot of anger.
Mr Roberts said that although schools believed they would have to cut staffing numbers, until the Local Education Authority — Swansea Council — informed them how much money they had, no decisions could be made.
"We still don't have a budget," he said. "All we have is advice given to us in January.
And to complicate matters further, any teacher being made redundant must be informed by May 31, as teachers are required to have a three-month statutory notice period.
Mr Roberts said: "This will affect all of the secondary schools in Swansea.
"I have never seen a mess like it — it is appalling."
In September 2007, the Post revealed that head teachers in the city were already dealing with one education crisis — the crumbling state of Swansea's schools, which needed an investment of £147 million.
Now it seems there will be fewer teachers in the city.
The council initially predicted around 50 would be made redundant, but heads quickly estimated that figure would double.
A council spokesman said: "All schools will receive their final budgets during the week commencing March 22, which is earlier than in previous years."
4 Comments
by roy.adams, dunvant
Thursday, March 18 2010, 9:38PM
“Dave-- you are spot on with your comments-- It is a pity these councillors have not got the same sense.
The trouble is none of these councillors who voted to close schools and make teachers and staff unemployed, have never experience how difficult it is to control a disruptive class.
Undoubtedly with increase class sizes children who are slow learners will fall further behind .become frustrated and become disruptive. The brighter childrens education is bound to deteriorate as well. The decision to deprive children is selfish. These councillors lived in a generation where they had the opportunity to reach their full education potential. Now they are sitting back with healthy bank balance and making outrageous decisions.”
by Ali, Swansea
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 6:39PM
“There are already a huge number of young teachers who have recently qualified looking for teaching jobs in South Wales and the WAG are still allowing our universities to train people to be teachers at a huge cost to both themselves and their families and with little hope of getting a teaching position. It just does not make any sense!!!!”
by Dave D, Swansea
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 6:00PM
“Some teachers between the ages of 55 and 60 will take early retirement and be provided non-actuarially reduced access to their pensions. They won't be replaced.
Some teachers will get jobs in other schools/LEAs and give notice of their resignations by May 31st. They then may not be replaced.
Some teachers on one-year temporary contracts (quite common for teachers starting their careers) may find their contracts aren't renewed.
Some teachers will be made redundant.
I believe a large typical comprehensive school (between 1000 and 1200 pupils and a full time equivalent of 50 to 60 teachers) could expect three or four early retirements, perhaps one mover and possibly even one or two compulsory redundancies.
So the main "headline" figure could be "one teacher made redundant", but in practice there could be five or six fewer teachers working in the school come September.
The real question, the public (parents) should be asking (when we get to June and schools will have had to have made their decisions and informed staff), is "how many less teachers will be working n the school in September than there are now?".
When teachers have to teach larger classes, all the discipline issues are amplified. They spend more time dealing with disruption than they otherwise would. They have less time to assist the less able and the pupils with special educational needs. They have less time to challenge the more able. They spend more time marking and less time preparing interesting resources for lessons. The parents and council are going to have face up to the fact that results will go down, truancy could increase, behaviour will get worse etc etc etc.”
by Jonathan, Sketty
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 2:14PM
“It was 200 teachers last month, now it is only 100 - by next month it might be 50 and by the time May 31st comes around they may be hiring teachers?
Anyone know how many teachers will be sacked in Swansea?”