The current proposals will leave us with insufficient funds to maintain adequate provision in our schools. If implemented as proposed, this will lead to many or all of the following consequences: · The number of teachers will reduce and class sizes will increase in primary and secondary schools · It will be harder to recruit and retain the best teachers · Options at GCSE and ‘A’ level will be cut leaving our students with fewer options and particularly put MFL, technology, PE and the creative arts at risk · Reductions in support staff will lead to less support for vulnerable children · Opportunities outside the classroom will dwindle or disappear · Training for teachers will be cut and time to plan lessons will be reduced · There will be insufficient money to keep textbooks, computers and other classroom resources up to date · Standards in schools across all subjects, including English and mathematics, are likely to fall The new formula must be sufficient for any of our existing schools to operate effectively regardless of their intake. We support the principle of schools that serve disadvantaged communities receiving additional support but this should not be achieved by making other schools unviable.

It is not just families on benefits who are struggling to make ends meet and a charge of over £500 per year is a huge burden to those families who are not now eligible for a free bus pass . Free school transport is an essential for all those who live more than reasonable walking distance from school. This change penalises hard working families.

The youth project and KRAN are based at the Shed. They work with local young people many of whom live in Harbour Ward, one of the most deprived in the area. The young people receive sex and health education, drug and alcohol awareness, and help with writing CVs and applying for jobs. They are also encouraged to take part in a range of positive activities (such as sport, art, and music technology) and are able to make friends and integrate with other local young people. The Shed is a safe, non-judgemental space where all are welcome. One young person who uses the Shed said this, "People who find it hard to fit in anywhere else come here which enables them to feel valued...it also provides them with education and teaches them that everyone is equal no matter what their background is. We wouldn't have learnt these life lessons and morals if it wasn't for the Shed and the kind-hearted staff that give up their time to make sure we feel we belong."

FutureTech is an excellent provision for the children of Warrington who believed in and chose a completely different approach to learning. It's unique selling point was small numbers, small class sizes and work experience. Numbers for the school may be low but the grass roots difference that it is and has made to those attending is imperative for our town. Plus the intake number was originally set at 200 (changed to 300) and currently has 187 students. Some (NOT ALL) of the children there did not engage in the schools that they have left, for a myriad of reasons but under FutureTechs tuition and guidance have engage with education again and gained confidence and self worth beyond measure. These kids will now be left to find new school placements (often to places that will not offer the subjects they are taking now) and will be disrupted right in the middle of their preparation for their GCSE's.

The Creative Writing A level will shortly come to an end after the Department for Education decided to turn down the AQA submission for Creative Writing to continue as an AS and A Level subject from 2017 onwards. If writing is a chance to reflect on who we were, who we are and who we can be, it is important anyone has a chance to pursue this career and become a writer. By removing the opportunity to consider this subject for A level, we are guiding students away from considering this career path later on which is then limiting the diversity of who writers are and making it more likely that the same kinds of people will always be the ones who become writers. This is why the Creative Writing A level is so important – it has been shown that the subjects we study at school lead to the subjects we consider for university and/or our careers, then, when we become parents, our own choices influence the choices we guide our children to make.

The kids love it and with the weather warming up it will be truly be missed! A lot of hard work went into the building of it and is loved by all of the local families.

A safe crossing is needed for children and adults to cross for school, nursery, shops and bus stop. Since there is no longer a post for a lollipop person the road has become difficult and dangerous to cross.

Hamilton Primary school restructuring: Reject these unfair and damaging proposals. Tomorrow (Tuesday 22 February) the school's governors will meet to make a final decision on their restructuring document which was delivered to staff on the 25th January. The essence of the proposals are in effect jobs loses, changes in staff terms and conditions and pay cuts. It will mean that the school will lose two important part-time teaching posts and face the real possibility that Higher Level Teaching Assistant (unqualified teachers) will be required to deliver regular time-tabled lessons planned by class teachers to whole classes without any preparation time whatsoever. Most disgracefully the school's highly dedicated and motivated Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) will be forced to reapply for a limited number of jobs, most taking a significant cut in hours. Further savings are being sought by withdrawing pay for LSAs' 15 minute morning "break" (invariably spent supporting distressed or confused children, preparing for the next lesson, or on playground duty). These women are currently earning approximately £8.50 per hour! In addition to removing LSA cover for all class teachers in key stages 1 and 2 in the afternoons, (for example, leaving a single adult in charge of 30 5, 6 or 7 year olds all afternoon), further proposed job cuts include reducing the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator's post to one day a week (even though there is an acknowledged increase in the need for SENCO intervention at the school), and slashing the Computer Technicians post by more than a third (despite the heads decision to invest heavily in new computer technology in the classrooms). We urge the Governors to reject these proposals for what they are: an unfair and damaging attempt to push through cuts in the schools budget at the expense of our children's educational needs and pay cuts and worsening of terms and conditions for some of our school's lowest paid staff. Please sign the petition calling on the Governors to reject these proposals. If the Governors give the proposals the go-ahead we need to urgently act to defend our staff and our children's education. - The school's staff unions should call a joint meeting to develop a strategy of oppose and stop any attempts to implement the proposals. - We should call a joint staff and parents public meeting to organise a protest at the school gate demanding that the proposals be withdrawn. Up and down the country similar attacks are taking place - attacks that unfairly attempt to balance a budget at the expense of children's education needs and staff pay and conditions - but they are being resisted by both staff and parents. In Durham teaching assistants have struck to fight off a 40% cut in pay and in Derby TA's recently descended on Derby Councils head office blowing whistles, ringing bells and waving flags and placards to overturn a proposed pay cut.

People are increasingly concerned about the pressures on wildlife. Especially in cities like London, many beloved species, such as hedgehogs, sparrows and bumble bees are all visibly declining.   The 2016 State of Nature report found that 7 per cent of urban wildlife species are nearing extinction. [link: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/State%20of%20Nature%20UK%20report_%2020%20Sept_tcm9-424984.pdf], and the number of hedgehogs living in London has dropped by half since 2000. [link: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/at_home_with_nature_-_encouraging_biodiversity_in_new_housing_developments.pdf]   People want to help but can an individual make a difference?    We believe they most certainly can, if this scheme receives the backing of the Mayor of London.   Every month in London thousands of homes are bought and sold. The commissions are considerable, and every home letting involves fees paid to the agents too. But what if a tiny proportion of these commissions were set aside to enable the new householder to buy a bird box, a bat box, bee-friendly plants or something else to encourage wildlife in some way? Its a simple concept - Homes for People - Homes for Wildlife!   The home’s new owner could chose which sort of measure to encourage wildlife would work best for them and gradually a whole new range of safe and secure wildlife homes would spread across the city.   Such a project has national potential but needs someone with the Mayor of London’s credibility to help get the various bodies, like the National Association of Estate Agents on board. They have always been painted as bad guys but we can give them the chance to do some real good with this scheme, by making it simple for people to give homes to nature.   If done in an imaginative way, for example by making the voucher a unique token like a coin, redeemable with companies or organisations that sell wildlife-friendly products, the scheme could be expanded in use. Other companies wanting to help people support wildlife could also buy and give away ‘eco-crowns’ and people could pass them on if they can’t easily use them in their own homes.   We could even have a competition, engaging with schools, to help design and name the ‘eco-crowns’ and another for product designers, to decide on the material (re-cycled plastic?) and ensure that the coins could not be forged.   Before all this, the first step, is to get people like the London Assembly and the Mayor to see the benefits and back the concept, and then win the involvement of national bodies like estate agents as it gains wider support. Please sign the petition and help get my idea off the ground. This campaign was started by Maurice Melzak, a zoology graduate, naturalist and documentary film maker for more than 30 years. He first developed the idea in 2010, for Waterlow Park, where he gained the support of a local estate agent and a nesting box manufacturing company. It was featured on the BBC’s Springwatch. Maurice volunteers at Highgate Cemetery where he keeps honey bees and advises on wildlife issues. He obtained a Biffa landfill grant to purchase over 100 bird and bat boxes for the Cemetery which has made a significant difference to the bird life in the surrounding area. (see pic). With the need to save urban wildlife even more urgent, with a new Mayor and new support from politicians, he hopes this petition will get it off the ground and start to make a difference soon.

Most children that leave school do not know how to approach & open a everyday bank account... Or put together a business idea and cash flow forecast.

This is a dangerous junction at most time and is really bad at the school run time, sometimes the traffic backs up to way past the St. Brendan's Church and beyond. Also can cause a hazard at the Zebra Crossing. Seen many a near miss here as some people turn left then do a u-turn at the right turning a bit further down.

Due to government cuts and unfunded costs to schools. There is a crisis in schools funding. See below Will you help protect your child’s education? Schools are having to make cuts to staffing and resources. This is because schools’ budgets have been cut by 8 – 10% in real terms over the last few years as unfunded pay rises, increased pension and NI costs and “taxes” such as the Apprenticeship Levy have meant schools have less money. This means cuts in other areas of the school to fund these extra costs. The future looks bleak. Next year sees more expenses for schools. Inflation is increasing too. Local Authority cuts means that schools are expected to do more with less. Schools haven’t had an increase to help with extra costs for a number of years. In Sutton, the Local Authority is proposing to cut basic school funding next year to help meet other costs especially higher costs for students with high needs.. We are close to crisis. Schools will have fewer teachers, larger classes, less choice, less support for students and families, fewer opportunities, trips or co-curricular activities. In some areas of the country, schools are already cutting school hours. Others are suggesting a four day week to reduce staffing demand and utility bills. Headteachers are not known for their militancy. However this information, sent to all parents of secondary age children in the London Borough of Sutton, is a cry for help. We need you to help us signal to local and central government that school funding is in crisis. They are not listening to us and we hope they might instead listen to you. • Schools will no longer be hit with unfunded increases in staffing costs • Lobby for an exemption from the Apprenticeship Levy 2. If you feel strongly against the proposed cuts by Sutton Local Authority Funding Cuts in the News • National Audit Office assessment https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Financial-sustainability-of-schools.pdf • How my school is losing the battle with funding cuts https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/how-my-school-losing-battle-funding-cuts • Cash strapped schools consider four day week https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/03/cash-strapped-schools-consider-introducing-four-day-week • Heads Warn of ‘extremely bleak’ funding problems http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38557843 • West Sussex Governors Threaten Strike http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/