MP slams 11th hour Sixth Form funding cuts

Anne Main responded angrily to the Government's announcement that local sixth forms will see a uniform 3.71% reduction in funding for post-16 education.

Anne Main, MP for St Albans, responded angrily to the Government's announcement that local sixth forms will see a uniform 3.71% reduction in funding for post-16 education.

Anne has been contacted by the head teachers of local schools, furious at the 11th hour announcement that sixth forms will have to accept the substantial cut in funding from the Learning and Skills Council, despite the three year funding agreement which had previously been agreed.

Anne said:

"I think it is atrocious that local schools are being asked to accept a sudden cut in their funding allocation for the new financial year, where previously they had been told that funding was secure. The Government had assured schools and colleges that the three year funding allocation gave them certainty so that plans could be made in the sure knowledge that funding was available.

This announcement removes a substantial chunk of funding which had already been earmarked for vital aspects of the curriculum. At the beginning of March the schools received what they believed were the final allocations of funding and planned accordingly. With these budget cuts it is inevitable that schools must cut the costs from elsewhere. The whole system surrounding budget allocations from this Government is an absolute disaster, and follows quickly on the heels of cuts in the college building programme, which has already hit Oaklands College.

This announcement leaves sixth forms locally battling to deliver Government targets to expand post-16 education whilst at the same time receiving much less money. I know that other Members of Parliament in Hertfordshire share my concerns about this matter and I have written to the Secretary of State for Education to request an urgent meeting on the subject with other Hertfordshire MPs.""