Call for Budget to provide cash for education (From Swindon Advertiser)

Call for Budget to provide cash for education by Swindon councillor

12:30pm Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News

THE Swindon Labour Group’s Shadow Lead for Education, Coun Cindy Matthews, has called for the Government to produce more funding for increased school places in Swindon.

It comes after a recent National Audit Office report that 256,000 new school places will be needed in 2014/15 including 240,000 in primary schools.

Swindon in particular is in need of more school places with the recent opening of Croft Primary School, the expansion of Haydonleigh and Even Swindon Primary Schools, the expansion of Orchid Vale Primary School and the planned openings of primary schools in the town centre and North Swindon.

Department For Education funding to Swindon Council for school places has reduced from £6.3m in 2010 to £4.3m in 2012/13.

Coun Matthews said: “The National Audit Office Report has flagged up what we have known in Swindon for some time, that more Government investment needs to be made in school places to meet the rising demand for places and in particular, primary school places.

“Although this is a national problem, as the National Audit Office made clear, this particularly affects growth areas in the country, like Swindon.

“What I would welcome from the Government’s Budget this week is capital investment in school places up to 2010 levels.

“This would not only enable more young people to be educated in their local school but would also create more jobs in the area.”