Paula Sherriff MP has secured the promise of a meeting with schools’ minister Nick Gibb as she questioned him about the severe financial pressures faced by our rural schools in Parliament this week.

This comes after local Headteacher, Evelyne Barrow of St Aidan’s CE school in Skelmanthorpe, raised the impact that insufficient funding is having on staff and students during Miss Sherriff’s visit to the school.

Miss Sherriff has written to Education Secretary, Damian Hinds to highlight the difficulties faced by the small, rural first school. She has stressed her concerns about the financial pressures that have been imposed on them and other schools across her constituency which covers Dewsbury, Mirfield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton.

Paula Sherriff MP said;

‘Our schools are working incredibly hard to make ends meet, but the pressures on school budgets together with cuts to support services for vulnerable young people and their families are making this near impossible.

The minister says the government are spending record amounts on our schools but their ‘little extras’ won’t fool local parents and teachers who can see that school budgets are at breaking point.

I hope this will be an opportunity for the minister to listen and act on the real concerns of local Headteachers. Our schools are doing a great job despite the pressures – it’s time the government supported them in doing so.’