NUT - UCU Survey on Impact of Cuts in College Funding

Tuesday, 26 April 2011 12:00 AM

This joint snapshot survey by the NUT and UCU on the impact of cuts in further education and 6th form colleges paints a bleak picture for students and staff alike.

An overwhelming majority (96%) of colleges have been told that their budgets will be cut in 2011-2012 and of these more than nine out of ten said that the cuts would have a negative impact on the teaching and learning in their colleges.

Almost three quarters (74%) of respondents reported possible teacher redundancies and 76% reported potential support staff redundancies.

Respondents identified several threats to educational provision in their colleges:

. Reduction in courses offered (55%)
. Increases in group size (52%)
. Reduction in the number of hours per course (40%)

This survey highlights the immediate effect of the 75% cuts to enrichment funding with three quarters (76%) of respondents saying there will be a reduction in activities such as sports, music, dance and drama. A further 67% said that tutorial time would be reduced whilst 35% said there would be less careers guidance for students.

Colleges give a damning verdict on the Government's new proposals for the Education Maintenance Allowance, with not one single respondent answering that the students in their college believed it was adequate. A further 68% believed recruitment to their college would be adversely affected by these cuts to EMA.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said;

"The impact of not only the real terms cuts faced by colleges but also the 75% cut in enrichment and tutorial funding is nothing short of devastating. Teachers in this crucial sector face job losses and increased workload while students will be forced out of education by the two thirds cut in funding for the Education Maintenance Allowance.

"High quality education is essential to growth and prosperity. We need a highly skilled workforce to compete in the global economy. These cuts are just the latest in a shockingly long list of short sighted moves by the Coalition Government, which will affect not only this present generation of students and their families but society as a whole."

Ctd.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said;

"This survey shows the true impact of the Government's education cuts. Colleges will no longer be able to offer students the same high-quality learning experience as courses get shorter and class-sizes increase.

"Colleges play a key role in helping people stay on in education, as well as giving many others a second chance to retrain. The Government can say all it likes about being committed to social mobility, yet the reality doesn't square with the rhetoric. As well as cutting funding for institutions, it has removed vital lifelines for college students, such as the Education Maintenance Allowance.

"It is essential that colleges join with us in opposing these punitive cuts and that institutions are not panicked into making short-term changes that will do lasting damage to education and jobs in their local communities."

END

For further details contact Caroline Cowie (NUT) on 07879480061 or Alex Rossiter (UCU) on 07977562686

Editors Note
The survey is representative of 69 responses from 55 different colleges

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