WORRIED Halesowen and Cradley headteachers have warned parents about Government cuts which could result in hundreds of teachers being laid off.

This week headteachers of 13 primary and senior schools took the unprecedented step of writing a joint letter, which has been obtained by the News, to parents about the Government’s national funding formula.

The letter to parents at Lutley Primary School predicts its budget will be cut by £268,946 by 2019/20 which is the equivalent of eight teachers being axed.

In the letter, headteacher Jeanette Mackinney wrote: “We are writing to you as the headteachers of all the Halesowen schools to alert you to the very real budget cuts that all our schools are facing over the next few years.

“We wanted to share with you the significant levels of cuts as fully as we can so that you begin to understand why things will inevitably have to change as a result of this.

“We will of course be working with governors to ensure we do whatever we can to limit the worst effects of the cuts and will also be lobbying our local MPs so that they are aware of the negative impact such cuts will have on our school.”

The headteachers also claim rising national insurance and pension contributions for staff, utility bills going up and fewer services being provided by Dudley Council is creating financial strain.

Belle Vale councillor Ian Cooper, Dudley Council’s cabinet member responsible for education, shares the headteachers’ concerns about school funding.

He said: “These figures, based on the Department for Education’s own data, lay bare the scale of the funding crisis in our schools.

“The Tories are squandering £320 million on vanity grammar schools while we’re forced to shed – in droves – the support staff and teachers who change lives every day.

“They’re gambling with our children’s futures, safe in the knowledge that it will never effect the privileged elite they represent.”

Conservative Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP James Morris defended the Government’s education policy. He said: “The current funding for schools does not work, and the old system saw some schools receiving more than double the amount of money per pupil than others.

“The Government have held an important consultation on the new funding formula, and I hope local teachers, governors and parents have taken this opportunity to have their say.”

He added: “I will await the consultations findings with interest and continue to work with local schools to provide the best possible education for our young people.”