Tory hits back over MP’s education funding claims

A TORY school governor has hit back over claims by Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid that schools in the borough are not properly funded.
Andy Carter (pictured) deputy chairman of Warrington Conservatives, said: “As a school governor and Multi Academy Trust trustee myself I can appreciate that every head teacher will want to see more funding for their school.
“But Faisal Rashid is simply wrong to suggest that new funding isn’t being provided to schools in Warrington.
“Warrington will receive £131.4 million in 2019/20, up from £128.5 million in 2018/19.”
Mr Carter was responding to comments made by Mr Rashid during a House of Commons debate on education funding in which he claimed to have carried out a survey of head teachers in Warrington in which the heads of 31 schools had said they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current funding situation.
He said he would fight for schools in his constituency to be “properly funded” so that young people in Warrington and across the country could receive the quality education they deserved.
Mr Carter said: “One of the costs I see on school accounts which makes me feel most uncomfortable is the immense level of fees paid to recruit agency and supply teachers, so it’s good to see the government also tackling teacher recruitment costs which will help schools make the most of their funding.
“Faisal Rashid seems to forget what Labour oversaw last time they were in power – we fell down the international league tables in reading, maths and science, more than 100,000 school places were cut and most shockingly literacy and numeracy of young adults was no better than the generation about to retire.
“There’s still more to be achieved but standards in our classrooms today are better than at any time in the past with 86 per cent of children now taught in good or outstanding schools, compared to 66 per cent in 2010 when Labour were last in power. We are helping more children to fulfill their potential”.