Swavesey Primary School Parent Portal - Newsletter 43 (25.11.2022)

Updates from Mrs Norden

As I sit here and reflect on the last two weeks, I have reminded myself that we only have three weeks left of this term which are full to the brim with planned activities. So please use the news links below to see what we have been doing, and then read all the information below, and any sent out as we move into the Festive season, to keep abreast and prepared for all it entails.

A special part of last week was our Children in Need non-uniform day, and we would like to thank you for supporting such a vital and worthwhile cause. We raised £318.91 which will go towards supporting 50+ single parent families with children with severe disabilities who cannot escape war in Ukraine. None of the funds will be used to cover any administration, the total will go directly to the support for these children and families.

This term our staffing team has seen a few changes. We have welcomed Mrs Ratcliffe to our Year 1/2 team in Mrs Spevack's absence to teach Squirrels, and we continue to send all our best wishes to Mrs Spevack for a return to full health. We have said goodbye to Miss Smythe, who has left us to work for the NHS and Mrs Daniel, who is now working as a young person's worker within the local authority. We were very sad to see them leave us but wish them great success in their new roles, and thank them for all their support for the school during their time with us. Miss Sharpe has joined our support staff to fill some of their roles, and we welcome her to our team.

Unfortunately, we have not filled all the vacated support staff hours because the increase in costs to schools which are unfunded by the government, will mean pressures for our budget for the remainder of this financial year and into the next.

Further to this, whilst the government's autumn statement spread good news of an extra £2.2 billion for schools, they did not overtly publicise the removal of an expected grant of over £300 million and so the increase will automatically be less. This is just one example of how the actual information on school funding is more complex than seems but means in real terms their heralding of school budgets being back to 2010 levels (as apparently a positive statistic) shows that not only is the level of funding 12 years behind current times but less than they are truly sharing.

Within the next few weeks I will write to you, our parent body, separately, with further details on the true funding picture for schools and hope you might support us in expressing concerns to our local MPs alongside myself, and headteachers across the county, over the government's lack of funding for schools.

I hope that today's brighter drier weather extends across the weekend and that whether you will be putting up your tree, attending an event near or far or simply relaxing as family, that your weekend is an ejoyable one for you all.

_{Anna-Claire Norden

Headteacher}