A MONMOUTHSHIRE councillor has urged the Welsh Government to scrap proposed cuts which could heap further pressure on school budgets in Wales.

County councillor Richard John, member for Mitchel Troy, has written to Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams encouraging her to scrap proposed cuts of £15 million to the Education Improvement Grant (EIG). The grant, distributed to schools by regional education consortia, is used for teacher training and teacher salaries, particularly at the Foundation Phase.

Established in April 2015, the EIG provides financial assistance to schools, local authorities and regional education consortia to improve educational outcomes for all learners.

Monmouthshire’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Cllr John, said: “The Education Improvement Grant funds teachers and teaching assistants for the youngest and most vulnerable children in our schools.

“These Welsh Government cuts would pile pressure on already stretched school budgets and I fear they would negatively impact on staff-pupil ratios, particularly at the Foundation Phase. Teachers and headteachers are also understandably concerned that these Wales-wide cuts could harm the drive to raise standards and affect the introduction of the new curriculum.

“In Monmouthshire, we are consistently ranked as delivering some of the best outcomes in Wales at the Foundation Phase and these standards are delivered with the tireless efforts of teachers and teaching assistants.

“The Welsh Government claims to prioritise education, yet these grant cuts will reduce the amount schools have to spend on their most valuable asset – good teachers.

“I recognise there are difficult budget choices to make, but the Welsh Government has over £300 million in unallocated reserves and has just received a windfall of £1.2 billion from the Chancellor’s Budget, so could well afford to protect £15million for schools.”