How you can help the campaign

Say YES to fair funding for our schools

Dear colleague,

Did you know that Government education funding for Devon children is the fourth lowest in England? According to the Government's assessment , every pupil in Devon is worth £375 less than the national average.

It is an unfair situation. Schools face similar costs wherever they are. Staff pay is set nationally, not locally. The education and future lives of 96,000 children and young people in Devon are affected by the relative low level of funding schools receive from central government.

That's why Devon schools have launched a campaign, Hands Up for Fairer School Funding, to persuade the Government to tackle the inequalities in funding for schools and end the post-code lottery that affects young people not only in Devon but also in many other parts of the country.

Devon schools would welcome your support for the campaign. Here are ten things you can do to help.

1) Please visit the Hands Up campaign website and read the case for change at http://www.fairfundingfordevonschools.org.uk/index.html and if you use Twitter or Facebook don't forget to link up and follow the campaign!

2) Please sign the Hands Up campaign petition on the Downing Street website at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/handsup4schools/ . It's easy!

3) Please encourage family, friends, parents, staff and local businesses to sign the petition.

4) For anyone who does not have easy access to a computer please start a paper version of the petition using the following words:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister
to implement a fairer education funding formula
that recognises every child matters equally
and ends the postcode lottery
of education funding in this country,
so that every child receives the same opportunity
and quality of education wherever they live.

Paper petitions can still be posted/delivered to Downing Street. If you would prefer to collect signatures on paper, you should send them to:
10 Downing Street London SW1A 2AA

5) Use the campaign’s website to email your local MP and ask him or her to back the campaign. All you have to do is type in your post-code and our campaign tool will find your MP’s email address and provide a prepared email to send direct on your behalf. It’s that easy! Just visit http://bit.ly/8MsoFf

6) If you prefer you can write letters in support of Devon schools and Devon schoolchildren to:

• Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Leaners, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3BT.
• Nick Gibb MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Schools, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA
• David Laws MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Schools, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA
• Jim Knight MP, Minister for the South West, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA

 

7) Publicise the campaign petition through any means possible.

8) Write to or email the Western Morning News and your local newspaper in support of the campaign.

9) Please tell the campaign what you're doing so we can publicise it on the Hands Up campaign website and encourage others. You can email your news to me at peter.doyle@devon.gov.uk.

10) Encourage others to do all and any of the above!

Thank you for your support.

Peter Doyle,
Co-ordinator for Hands Up.