A survey of Stroud's primary headteachers has found primary schools in the district are now 'unable to meet the needs of all their pupils' and that schools' funding is unsatisfactory.

Over 80 per cent of Stroud schools have been forced to cut books and teaching resources and a third say they have had to cut teaching staff.

The figures are the result of a survey of all Stroud schools carried out in September by Stroud MP, David Drew (Labour), which asked them to look at how funding had affected provision in the four years since 2015.

Mr Drew said: "In the last two years, I've visited almost all of our primary schools. I'm always impressed by the vibrancy of our schools, the children and staff. But sadly, my conversations with headteachers have shown how much they are struggling to make ends meet.

"Sadly, I fear budget pressures impact poorest children most. My own survey comes just weeks after the Education Policy Institute revealed that in Stroud disadvantaged pupils are 20 months behind their peers by the time they reach GCSEs; a wider attainment gap than the national average.

"I have little confidence that the latest proclamations of more financial support for schools will reverse the cuts of recent years, or indeed that the government will ever be in a position to make that funding materialise."

The key findings were:

• 100 per cent said current funding is inadequate
• 84 per cent have cut books and teaching resources
• 79 per cent have cut teacher training and support
• 65 per cent have been forced to axe parts of their curriculum
• 75 per cent have also cut Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision
• 34 per cent have had to cut teaching posts
• 81 per cent of primary schools have seen the number of pupils on roll increase at the same time as seeing their funding cut
• Half of primary schools have cut some cleaning and maintenance services
• 55 per cent have reduced extra-curricular activities

Funding for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has been particularly affected. 60 per cent of primary schools in the Stroud constituency have cut Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision, while 86 per cent of them have seen the number of SEND pupils on their roll increase. Two thirds of primaries have been unable to increase the number of teaching and learning support assistants required to properly support children with SEND.

One headteacher told David: "We love our jobs and we do everything we can to make sure our children don't miss out and are doing well, but the workload is not sustainable without possible burn out in the future, because everyone is doing a huge number of hours a week."

Another asked: "How are schools to ensure standards are maintained or even improve when we will be forced to reduce the level of support and resources?"

The survey was completed by 60 per cent of primary schools in Stroud constituency. A separate survey has been carried out of Stroud secondary schools and results are being collated.

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