In December the Education Minister, Leighton Andrews AM, published his school bandings for Wales, essentially a schools league table system for ranking schools, pitting school against school and teacher against teacher. It is a policy vigorously opposed by the NUT, and yet another example of an initiative being imposed without proper consultation.

Your opposition to the banded schools plans must be heard - lobby your AM/MP by writing to them here. Please help to make sure that the views of teachers in Wales are not ignored by the Welsh government.

Fair play for children in Wales

NUT Briefing on Pay, Pensions and Education Spending in Wales

This briefing shows how the Westminster Government's spending review will affect Wales and how the Welsh Assembly Government's Budget for 2011-12 will affect Welsh schools and their students. The Holtham Commission had already confirmed that Wales was underfunded. Following a settlement reduction in Wales funding, it is inevitable that schools will continue to suffer.

English language		Welsh language

NUT wins assurances but funding gap widens

The NUT Cymru campaign demanding Fair Play for Children in Wales has made a significant impact on the indefensible disparity in funding provision between Wales and England.

"I want to make sure that we spend the right amount of money on education, so I am making a commitment in this manifesto to spend 1% above the block grant every year until we reach a situation where we have parity of funding per head of pupil in England." Carwyn Jones First Minister for Wales

"I want to see more funding going to schools." Leighton Andrews Education Minister

These commitments are welcome. However, the gap in per pupil funding between England and Wales has widened to £604, according to January 2011 figures. We are calling on the Welsh Government to close the funding gap now. If the First Minister is to deliver on his pledge there needs to be a greater increase in spend than the promised one per cent above the block grant.

What you can do to help

We are now asking all school representatives to set up campaign groups in their schools and ask all teachers to get involved. Please also encourage all members to go to www.teachers.org.uk/walesfunding to sign our petition. If there are teachers in your school who are not yet members of the NUT, please encourage them to join. They can join online at http://www.teachers.org.uk or by phoning our joining hotlines on 0845 300 1669 or 020 7380 6369.

Let's make 2011 the year that we achieve "Fair Play for Children in Wales".

Please support our campaign for 'Fair Play for children in Wales'. Here is a quick and easy way in which you can show your support: sign our online petition on behalf of the children of Wales.

January 2010 Update

Petition to the Assembly Welsh Government

Petition to the Assembly Welsh Government (Welsh)

Fair Play for Children in Welsh leaflet A5 (English and Welsh versions)

NUT News Wales Edition January 2010

NUT News Wales Edition January 2010 (Welsh)

Fair Play for Children - A2 poster

NUT members lobbied the Welsh Assembly on 8 December in protest over its budget proposals for education funding.