No More Education Cuts

6th May 2024

What is going on?

Glasgow council are making cuts to their education service that will have a large impact on all primary and secondary schools. Langside Primary is no exception.

What is going to happen at Langside?

The first effect of these proposed cuts will be a reduction in teachers, with two fewer members of staff available next year. Some classes may have to increase in size and the reduced teaching body will be severely stretched. This includes the school’s leadership team (Headteacher and two Depute Headteachers) who will assume a huge increase in teaching time, and who will be even further stretched in the case of staff sickness and absence.

Crucially, this will dramatically reduce their ability to fulfil the following roles and tasks, that play such a vital role in the current school community:

  • Alternative break and lunch time clubs.
  • Responsive support for children who are dysregulated.
  • Responding to red triangles – emergency situations.
  • Health and medical support.
  • Responding and providing support in the playground.
  • Planned interventions to support children with Additional Support Needs.
  • Creating and assisting with implementation of risk assessments for individuals.
  • Referrals to Speech and Language, CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and Neurodevelopment teams.
  • Meeting with families and staff to discuss support strategies to meet learners needs.

What problems will this cause?

Under such stretched circumstances, the school will have to make difficult decisions about how they continue to support the children in their care. This may result in the following:

  • Reduced or completely withdrawn additional supports for children with ASN.
    • 70% of children in our school receive additional support in different forms.
  • An inability to respond to all incidents, resulting in more children requiring support from home during the day.
  • Reduced availability to meet with parents, respond to emails / calls and complete referrals.
  • Reduced or removed alternative interval and lunch provision for pupils.
  • Potential for an increase in exclusions, as the leadership team would not always be on hand to support children and diffuse escalating distressed behaviour.
  • Increased parental frustration due to stark change in availability of staff and support strategies in place.
  • Low staff morale

What can be done?

The school are currently exploring various ways in which the effects of such cuts can be mitigated. This includes various funding options to help secure probation teacher(s) for next session.

The school also continues to look for support from us, the Langside PCG (Parent Carer Group), who continue to support the school community the best we can. We would ask all parents to please help support our fight against these cuts and to protect our children’s education.

This includes:

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