THE Welsh Government has responded to the concerns of headteachers of schools across Wrexham amid budget cuts.

Last week, headteachers across Wrexham penned a letter to parents regarding education budget cuts.

It came after schools in Wrexham recently received their indicative budgets for next year, with at least one primary school said to be facing a six-figure deficit.

Wrexham Council is faced with plugging a forecast budget blackhole of £22.6m for the next financial year. It is set to cut £5.4m in school budgets to help plug the hole. 

Senior councillors previously said a reduction in central government funding had left them with no choice but to make savings from the education budget, with redundancies likely to follow.

Wrexham Association of Secondary Headteachers (WASH) said it is "inevitable"  that schools will not be able to "provide and sustain" the same level of support and services due to the significant shortfall in funding.

RECOMMENDED READING: 

WASH listed the following likely impacts of school budget cuts: 

• It will be difficult to maintain and develop a comprehensive curriculum that meets the diverse needs of all our learners.

• Limitations on resources, including staff time to run extracurricular activities and trips which can diminish the breadth, richness and quality of the education we aim to provide.

• Increased class sizes.

• ALN Reform will be affected, impacting on our most vulnerable learners as specialist support services are reduced at a time of great need.

A Senedd petition calling on the Welsh Government to protect funding for schools across the country has so far been signed by more than 2,700 people. 

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have re-prioritised funding to increase Welsh Government grants going directly to schools. The UK Government austerity agenda means there are significant pressures on local authorities.

"That is why we provided a significant 7.9 per cent increase to local authority budgets in 2023-24, and have protected the indicative rise of 3.1 per cent in the 2024-25 draft budget.

"We will continue to work with partners across the sector to ensure the best possible outcomes for our learners.”