Unions say government plans could leave schools in Brent with a funding crisis.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) believe that the predicted effects of plans to redistribute existing government cash between schools in Brent will mean teachers and students across the borough will lose out.

According to figures – based on government data and Institute for Fiscal Studies calculations – the unions anticipate cuts of 10 per cent schools in Brent over the next four years.

Across the same period the unions are predicting that the cuts will result in a decrease of £542 being spent on each pupil across the borough and around 610 teachers being lost by 2020.

NUT general secretary Kevin Courtnet said: “No headteacher should be put in the position of increasing class sizes, leaving building repairs undone or cutting staff and resources simply to balance the books.

“Nor should any parent accept this for their child. We are one of the richest countries in the world. We can and we should be funding our schools properly.”

The two key factors behind the union’s calculations are government spending being reallocated across the country and funding not rising with inflation.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted added: “The formula for schools’ funding must not be reformed. All children deserve a fair chance to succeed and should not suffer because schools are under-resourced and teachers over-worked.”

You can view the calculated figures for Brent by visiting schoolcuts.org.uk.