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The real cost of education cuts

... to Traveller education

Y has been Head of a Traveller Education Service in London for 11 years, and a teacher for 27 years.

What impact are spending cuts having in your area?

My one part-time teacher and I have been told we will have to go on the Hay scale, rather than being paid as teachers, and schools will have to pay for our services (at present we don't charge). I can't see schools being willing to pay for our service for the tiny minority of Traveller pupils, especially as we will no longer be allowed to offer teaching.

Some of our outreach work and work with fairgrounds and circuses will continue and won't be required to make an income, but for at least half our work we need to generate income to cover at least half our salary. If we cannot get this money, our salaries may be reduced or our posts cut.

How are they affecting you?

I'm only five years from retirement. Being forced to go on the Hay scale I will lose my holidays and will not be able to pay into the Teachers' Pension Scheme for the remainder of my career - a huge worry.

It's stressful not knowing if any schools will buy my services, or what will happen if they don't. Also, I'll miss the teaching as it's what I enjoy most, and where I feel I do most good.

What sorts of services are affected?

Our service, the Ethnic Minority Advisory Service and the TES (which works with statemented children) will all be cut severely.

What impact will this have on local teachers and schools?

Schools will have to make choices about which services they will fund. If they don't feel they can afford a service, they will lose that support.

What kinds of pupils and families will suffer?

At present we give teaching support to 40 pupils who have low literacy. We see these children progressing weekly, enjoying and benefiting from this help. Also, we provide an opportunity to them and to schools for the Traveller culture to be understood and celebrated. I fear this will cease and they will become even more vulnerable and marginalised.

What's your message to the Government?

Your cuts will affect adversely some of the most vulnerable children in our schools. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils are nationally the most underachieving and marginalised. The good work that Traveller education services have done with these communities is being threatened, and valuable expertise and experience will be lost.

... to early years

Early years teacher K has been working in a Sure Start children's centre in the South West for seven years.

What impact are spending cuts having in your area?

Nationally there is no longer any requirement to have a qualified teacher or early years professional in children's centres in deprived areas. The Government has also scrapped the requirement for year-round, extended childcare in the most deprived areas.

A new Early Intervention Grant was announced in the spending review, but many think this won't be enough to safeguard existing intervention and prevention work in areas such as alcohol and drug misuse, teen pregnancy and domestic violence.

Locally, our local authority (LA) is restructuring and many positions are at risk.

How are they affecting you?

It's stressful not knowing what the changes are and how they are going to impact on the services we provide.

What sorts of services are affected?

We're still waiting to hear the outcomes of the council meeting.

What impact will cuts have on local teachers and schools?

Since 2003, when the Sure Start Local programme was established, children's Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) scores have consistently risen. Last year all our children left the Foundation Stage with scores equal to or above the county's average in all areas but three. If services decline, children will return to entering school well below the expected norm. Behaviour will deteriorate, as will the wellbeing of children and their families.

What kinds of pupils and families will suffer?

Our work benefits not just children, but also their families. For example, we ran a project for parents, linking their children's education at the centre to their experiences at home. Some of the participants had no qualifications, no job and no confidence. The project led to them becoming involved in a variety of activities, from literacy and numeracy courses, to addressing meetings and conferences, to starting new jobs and training.

What's your message to the Government?

In recent years provision for our youngest children and their families has been transformed. We are now seeing the benefits in rising FSP scores and improved wellbeing.

Why would you want to destroy this progress? In the long run it will not save money but will be a cost to the public purse. Children will no longer be ready for school, domestic violence will increase, and more children will be harmed and even die.

Show your opposition to damaging education cuts. Join the anti-cuts demo in central London on Saturday 26 March. More details at www.tuc.org.uk.