Ed Balls yesterday confirmed that, from 2011, there will be a £2 billion cut in schools’ budgets and said that he could successfully deliver them.
His solution? Mainly by creating federations of schools, where senior posts are shared across schools and therefore saving money by employing fewer senior non-teaching staff. Also a reduction in bureaucrats, which is always a popular thing to say (and you’ll hear more of that in the run-up to the next general election from all parties I’m sure).
So, from 2011, schools in Bedford will be involved in a massive reorganisation of senior management in order to find the huge cuts that Ed Balls has proposed (or whatever Michael Gove’s alternative is).
The education world will be in turmoil in order to find cuts of this size…and at the same time, Bedford is going to change its schools system?
And all this assumes that BSF funding will survive, and schools will find the money for lower-primary transition…
…and our children, schools and families will all continue happily along their way, gaining improved results?
Absolute fantasy.
So what can you do?
Help to vote in a Mayor who has a clear policy to retain and support three-tier education by any means possible – spread the word by email and social networking – “viral” campaigns such as ours can be more effective than leafletting in the modern world.
Encourage others to actively vote for three-tier supporters (with both their votes) and against two-tier supporters (by not voting for them)
Save Middle Schools - The Blog 
Does anyone know the legal position of schools and their staff canvassing for 2/3-tier candidates? I know that staff of “maintained” schools cannot be council members or mayoral candidates but does this also prevent them or trust/foundation schools from working for /against mayoral candidates in the election. Upper and Lower school headteachers used letters to parents to support the change, can they do this again in the election?
From the start of April 2009, can anyone understand the Unitaries decision to divide schools into two areas (Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough). We now have Bedfordshire school headteachers not able to meet and discuss educational issues (as a whole)at meetings and conferences, instead they only are allowed speak to headteachers within their unitary council areas. It is the same for subject leaders, who will now only attend Professional Study Groups with other subject leaders of Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire. Forget other counties, are the two new councils now statistical neighbours? Are they now the enemy? What happened to raising educational standards in Bedfordshire? What happens to schools like Alban and Holywell, who are positioned more or less on the border?
Am I now allowed to speak to my mum in Central Bedfordshire? For me the county of Bedfordshire is dead!
Now back to the subject, the idea of two educational authorites in Bedfordshire does not make ‘Ed Balls’ sense. If we, as a country need to make substantial cuts, including senior management staff, then why do we have more or less two of every position (1 for Bedford Borough and 1 for Central Bedfordshire). Common sense! I think not! but when you remove the name of the most famous person of Bedfordshire(John Bunyan)from a school’s name, you know you have problems!
ED (Having a rant!)