UCAC education union has welcomed the publication today (10th July) of the ‘School Funding in Wales’ report by the National Assembly for Wales’s Children, Young People and Education Committee.

Dilwyn Roberts-Young, UCAC’s General Secretary said “The Committee has conducted its research, has received a deluge of evidence, and has come to the conclusion that ‘there is not enough money going into the education system in Wales and not enough finding its way to schools’. UCAC agrees whole-heartedly with that conclusion.

“Schools are unable to afford the numbers of staff that they require to provide a high-quality education. In turn, that means increasing class sizes, fewer teaching support staff and less support for vulnerable learners.

“We welcome the Committee’s recognition that the entire education funding system is over-complex – and that it is impossible to come to a judgement about value for money due to that complexity and the inconsistency of funding formulas across Wales.

“We urge Welsh Government to take note of these very clear messages, to take them seriously, and to act without delay on the Committee’s recommendations. Our schools are buckling under the strain, and with the financial forecasts over the next few years, there’s a danger that they will not be able to cope with the enormous and ambitious reforms that are on the way.”