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Hinds pledges support for extra schools funding in November


The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement failed to address the demands of teachers across the country for extra school funding, despite the Education Secretary Damian Hinds saying just days beforehand they have a good case for new investment. Instead, the Chancellor announced a


spending review that will be concluded before the Autumn Budget in November this year. Prior to the Spring Statement, Hinds


had been speaking at the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference, where he said he heard “loud and clear” their concerns over funding and the need for an extra £5.7bn to avoid deeper spending cuts or even insolvency. Hinds pledged to “make the strongest


possible case for education” to win more funding from the Treasury in the


upcoming spending review. He said: “I understand the real concerns on funding. I get that finances are challenging for schools, and that many of you have had to make, and are having to make very hard choices.” “I know that rising costs from suppliers


to supply agencies add to these pressures, alongside the particular pressures in High Needs. On Wednesday the Chancellor announced the next spending review, which is when Government sets out spending allocations for the year ahead. I will take that opportunity to make the strongest possible case for education. For me, it’s not only a moral argument about our priorities – though that can’t be overstated. “From a hard-headed point of view, for


a strong, highly skilled, productive economy clearly we need the right level


of investment in our schools. And so too, to deliver the revolution we need in technical education we need investment in our colleges.” ASCL President Richard Sheriff


estimated that an additional £5.7bn was needed to allow state schools in England to fulfil their basic functions. He said: “On the current trajectory, schools will either have to make more unpalatable cuts to the curriculum and the support they provide to pupils, or they will face insolvency. This is not a scenario which is acceptable to anyone. “It must be obvious to everyone that a


funding gap of £5.7bn cannot be resolved by trying to squeeze a few more efficiencies out of a system where every cost has already been trimmed. The answer must come from the Treasury in the form of additional investment.”


West Lothian college working with Openreach to train digital engineers


A fibre training school featuring a replica street has been unveiled by Openreach to train the next generation of digital engineers. Openreach has invested £485,000 in


the facility in Livingston, which will train more than 2,000 engineers from across


Scotland this year. Trainees will be able to hone their skills


in a replica residential street outside the centre where a live fibre network connects a local exchange to an office, shop and houses through pavements, ducts, poles and cabinets.


There are also fibre classrooms,


complete with duct pipes, fibre cables and walls replicating the inside and outside of customers’ houses. Openreach will also use the centre to


help educate policymakers about the technical side of building a full fibre network and is working with further education establishments like West Lothian College to open its doors to engineering students. Business Minister Jamie Hepburn opened


the West Lothian facility on Tuesday during Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2019. He said: “Investing in the skills of


Scotland’s current and future workforce are priorities for the Scottish Government, recognising their positive contribution to our strategic focus on inclusive growth and improving productivity. “In support of that we will continue to


expand the number of apprenticeships available in Scotland, and in this Scottish Apprenticeship Week we fully welcome today’s Openreach announcement regarding their investment in Scotland and its workforce.”


6 educationdab.co.uk


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