A headteacher has revealed how drastic cuts to school budgets have left her in tears.

Sarah Threlkeld-Brown, of Clifton Primary School, near Penrith, was among several heads to speak out during a high-profile rally against planned cuts to school funding.

More than 1,000 parents, teachers, children and campaigners took part in the Fair Funding for Cumbrian Schools demo at the Cornmarket in Penrith on Saturday afternoon.

Similar events are taking place across the country in opposition to the cuts, which the National Audit Office says will leave a £3bn shortfall in national school budgets by 2010.

More than £23m of that will be in Cumbria – prompting campaigners from across both the Eden and Carlisle areas to join the rally.

Mrs Threlkeld-Brown said she had not been planning to speak, but felt compelled to share her story.

She told the crowd that she wants the very best for her children, but the cuts are going to have a huge impact.

“Yesterday I sat in my office with my bursar for four hours trying to sort my budget out. I was crying when she left,” she said.

“I’ve sat at my kitchen table all morning going through my spreadsheet, trying to make it balance, and I’m still not there.

“I’ve only been a head since January and it’s a rollercoaster.

“There are the highs, when you walk into a classroom and see the amazing progress children are making, then the lows when you go into that office, shut the door and put your head in your hands.”

She urged parents to lobby those campaigning to become their next MP, and said her pupils will be writing to the next government.

Other headteachers also spoke at the event.


Nigel Pattinson Nigel Pattinson, headteacher at Penrith’s Ullswater Community College (UCC), said: “This is the first time in 39 years that I’ve felt it necessary to stand up in public and speak on behalf of the school that I serve, because of what’s going on and is likely to be going on in future.”

He explained that he has already made more than £1m in efficiency savings since 2009, but is now set to lose hundreds of thousands more pounds every year.

Ultimately, he said, that would mean the school being forced to cut many subjects that are not in the core curriculum, including some of the more vocational or arts-based subjects.

Mr Pattinson said that will leave many pupils unable to study subjects that inspire them and get the skills needed for their dream careers.


Paul Buckland

“My driving principle is that no pupil should ever be able to look me in the eye and say this school values him more than me,” he added.

Paul Buckland, headteacher at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, said they too would be affected by the cuts. He explained that, as well as funding reducing, costs are rising all the time – none of which is covered by government.

Mr Buckland added that they have already lost staff and increased class sizes to balance their books, and now there is nothing left to cut.

“I’m frustrated there has been no understanding that a great, world-class education system is expensive, but is the best investment you can make,” he said.

A 10-year-old girl made a passionate plea to decision-makers to reverse school funding cuts, saying "it's our future" at stake.

Katie Greenwood, a pupil at North Lakes primary school, took to the stage in front of hundreds of people to make her point.

She said: "I believe that a school should be about more than maths and English. Every child deserves an exciting and varied curriculum, but we won't be getting any of that if these cuts go ahead.

"So wake up Westminster. I'm 10 years old and I can see that this is no way to build a successful future in our country. Fund education fairly. It's our future."

Also speaking at the rally, in Penrith's Cornmarket, was Diane Leesmith, of the Penrith Parents Against Cuts campaign group.

She said: "I speak as a parent. Schools work hard for our children and make difficult decisions managing the resources they have.

"They are good at managing change. But they came to us and asked for our help.

"Headteachers locally and all around the UK are coming together to tell us that they have cut and cut and cut. Now there's nothing left to cut.

"The harsh reality is there will be fewer teachers in schools, less choice of subjects and reduction in support.

"This is in a climate when school nurses, health visitors and children's mental health services have been savagely cut.

"Schools are the last frontier. Our children are not a business and neither are their schools.

"We need to invest in them now and safeguard their future."

Graham Frost, headteacher at Robert Ferguson Primary School in Carlisle and Cumbria branch secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers union, stressed that this isn’t about changes to the national funding formula, as ministers keep referring to.

He said it is about real-term cuts to school funding – and the figures are out there for all to see.


Graham Frost “Parents need to understand the full picture – 99 per cent of schools are forecast to be affected by the cuts that we are talking about.

“We’ve done our homework. Our homework is based on Government data.

“We are not making this up,” he said.

Mr Frost urged parents to send a message, to whoever is in government on June 9, that they must use the autumn statement – the next chance to make major budget changes – to reverse the cuts.

Marty McCanny and wife Nicole are both religious education teachers at UCC and have three daughters at Skelton primary school.

He said: “As teachers and parents we are seeing the reality on the shop floor.

“Vacancies are not being filled, jobs are being lost. We are starting to see a crisis. Students are not getting the opportunities they should be.”

The rally was largely organised by Doug Lawson, who is also the Green Party’s Parliamentary candidate for Penrith and the Border for the upcoming general election. But he stressed it was not a political event, inviting all the parties to put forward a speaker.

They included Liberal Democrat parliamentary rival Neil Hughes and Labour’s Claire Driver, who has just won a seat on Cumbria County Council representing Alston and East Fellside.