Fair play for children in Wales
NUT wins assurances but funding gap widens
The NUT Cymru campaign demanding Fair Play for Children in Wales has made a significant impact on the indefensible disparity in funding provision between Wales and England.
“I want to make sure that we spend the right amount of money on education, so I am making a commitment in this manifesto to spend 1% above the block grant every year until we reach a situation where we have parity of funding per head of pupil in England.” Carwyn Jones First Minister for Wales
“I want to see more funding going to schools.” Leighton Andrews Education Minister
These commitments are welcome. However, the gap in per pupil funding between England and Wales has widened to £527, according to January 2010 figures. We are calling on the WAG to close the funding gap now. If the First Minister is to deliver on his pledge there needs to be a greater increase in spend than the promised one per cent above the block grant.
What you can do to help
We are now asking all school representatives to set up campaign groups in their schools and ask all teachers to get involved. Please also encourage all members to go to www.teachers.org.uk/walesfunding to sign our petition. If there are teachers in your school who are not yet members of the NUT, please encourage them to join. They can join online at http://www.teachers.org.uk or by phoning our joining hotlines on 0845 300 1669 or 020 7380 6369.
Let’s make 2010 the year that we achieve “Fair Play for Children in Wales”.
Please support our campaign for ‘Fair Play for children in Wales’. Here is a quick and easy way in which you can show your support: sign our online petition on behalf of the children of Wales.
Petition to the Assembly Government
Petition to the Assembly Government (Welsh)
Fair Play for Children in Welsh leaflet A5 (English and Welsh versions)
NUT News Wales Edition January 2010
