As temperatures drop, schools in South Gloucestershire are having to reduce their heating because of spiralling costs, while “teachers and children are left in the cold”.
It’s just one of the challenges they are facing as the poorest funded schools in England.
South Gloucestershire schools rank 151st in terms of the mainstream funding from national Government.
It’s claimed they are having to reduce support and services for pupils in a bid to balance their books.
Local school leaders and South Gloucestershire council are now calling for more funding than was announced in the Autumn Statement.
South Gloucestershire Council Co-Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for schools, Councillor Ian Boulton, said “Quite simply, our children are missing out on opportunities and potentially achieving their best, as headteachers are forced to make cuts… because the Government is not properly funding our schools.
“If South Gloucestershire was funded at the average for similar council areas, we would get an extra £12.3 million a year, and if we were funded at the England average that would be an extra £16.9 million.”
It comes as warnings that temperatures could reach as low as 10C (14F) in some parts of the UK today.
