Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales

Y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg | Children, Young People and Education Committee

Cyllido Ysgolion yng Nghymru | School Funding in Wales

SF 01

Ymateb gan: Unigolyn
Response from: Individual

Area of Focus	Comment
The sufficiency of provision for school budgets, in the context of other public service budgets and available resources;	Appreciate LA states Education is a priority but the increasing year on year cuts to education (who are responsible for our future workforce and communities) have strained even the most creative of schools to such a degree that standards are slipping. Large class sizes, mixed age classes, high pupil:staff, additional teaching and learning aspects ceased as statutory are given priority
The extent to which the level of provision for school budgets complements or inhibits delivery of the Welsh Government’s policy objectives;	New curriculum reform is welcomed but reduction in budgets has meant schools cannot successfully embrace policy as don’t have the staff or resources, including training
The relationship, balance and transparency between various sources of schools’ funding, including core budgets and hypothecated funding;	Needs honest transparency
The local government funding formula and the weighting given to education and school budgets specifically within the Local Government Settlement;	This varies between authorities and consortia.
Welsh Government oversight of how Local Authorities set individual schools’ budgets including, for example, the weighting given to factors such as age profile of pupils, deprivation, language of provision, number of pupils with Additional Learning Needs and pre-compulsory age provision;	Transparency and equality required
Progress and developments since previous Assembly Committees’ reviews (for example those of the Enterprise and Learning Committee in the Third Assembly); and	Do not know of this
The availability and use of comparisons between education funding and school budgets in Wales and other UK nations.	Needs transparency