Lambeth parents join schools picnic protest

Lambeth fair funding for schools
Photo: James Hopkirk

Lambeth parents will join parents, pupils and teachers from all over the country, to stage a mass picnic protest in Parliament Square on Sunday 16 July as part of the Fair Funding for All Schools’ campaign against cuts to school funding.

The Carnival Against the Cuts march and rally will be attended by parent campaigners,  teachers, headteachers, pupils  and politicians in a family-friendly protest featuring speakers, songs, arts and kids’ fun.

Parents and pupils will be speaking about the situation facing their schools and the campaigns that they have set up locally. Speakers include headteachers, parents and pupils.

Carnival against school cuts poster

The Fair Funding for All Schools campaign is calling on the government to:

  • Immediately reverse cuts to school budgets that have taken place since 2015
  • Protect per pupil funding in real terms over the lifetime of this parliament
  • Provide the additional funding needed to implement a school funding formula that increases funding for schools in comparatively poorly funded areas of England without cutting funding per pupil for schools in any other part of the country, so that no school loses out.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, spending per pupil will have decline by 7% by 2022 despite and including the additional £4bn announced in the Conservative Party election manifesto.

Fionna Martin, Lambeth based mum and Co-Founder of Fair Funding for All Schools Lambeth campaign said: “Parents are deeply unhappy about the government’s failure to adequately address the funding crisis facing our schools.  Whilst the government is busy saying nothing, damaging cuts are being made to our children’s education. This is unacceptable.

“We will continue to apply pressure to force the government to provide an urgent remedy. We want increased investment in our schools so that our young people have the skills and knowledge they need and so that our future economy can reach its full potential.”

Find out more about the campaign at: www.fairfundingforallschools.org