Crickhowell parents have vowed to ‘level the playing field’ by fighting budget cuts planned by Powys County Council.

The controversial move, which parents of pupils who attend Crickhowell High School oppose, could also see fewer subject choices and bigger class sizes. ??Financial pressures mean Powys County councillors will have to decide where the axe falls, with school budgets on the block. ??At a meeting last week, education bosses discussed ‘fairer’ changes to a new school funding formula, with members of the Learning, Skills, and Economy scrutiny committee bestowed with the spectre of cuts.

But the chair of a local group determined to fight the plans, said Crickhowell High School—one of the country’s top performers—was already underfunded.

Eliane Wigzell, chair of the Crickhowell High School parents’ ’Level The Playing Field’ campaign for fair funding, said, "I think it’s safe to say that parents supporting the Crickhowell High School ’Level The Playing Field’ campaign feel that this has backed up their argument that the school has been underfunded for several years and they are concerned that this should be urgently addressed . 

"To hear from the Director of Education that the funding formula has not been compliant with regulations—which date back to 2010—is very worrying. How long have they known? Potentially it has been non-compliant for eight years which has had a really big impact on the school," she added.

At that meeting on December 14, director of education, Ian Budd, said the current formula did not comply with regulation and would need to be replaced.

Mr Budd added, “The new funding formula is designed to be transparent, consistent and equitable which is different to its predecessor.

“Under the new distribution model some schools gain and some lose.

“It’s important that no schools face a cliff-edge and can’t operate safely.”

“The last bit of modelling we’re working on is about dampening any negative effects.”

The overhaul plans would give schools a minimum level of funding whilst handing the headteacher responsibility on how to allocate resources.

Mr Budd added, “There are political choices in terms of budgeting that need to be taken as to what we can afford for schools and other services which the council is responsible for.

“If the high figure of £71 million is not affordable in 2019/20 there needs to be a rationale about which parts of the formula are not implemented in 2019/20.”

In response, school governor Alison Davies, part of the committee, pressed on whether the plans meant parents and pupils would be forced to lower their expectations.

Mr Budd replied that the Cabinet would have to decide on what the ‘core offer’ would be, and how that would be paid for within the budget.

Graham Taylor, a school governor from Rhayader, and part of the review team, said resources would have to match the core provision decided, and that cuts would be found if said resources did not stretch to meeting that provision.

“One example could be classes will have to be bigger, he said.”

The committee will meet again on January 4 to look at a final drafting of the formula.