Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for college funding to be increased to “sustainable” levels.
The petition was created by students at Brockenhurst College in Hampshire ahead of Colleges Week, a week of campaigning for better funding for FE. At of 10.40am on Friday, the petition had been signed by more than 8,900 peope.
Once the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the government are required to respond to it. At 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petition states: “We call on the government to urgently increase college funding to sustainable levels, including immediate parity with recently-announced increases to schools funding. This will give all students a fair chance, give college staff fair pay and provide the high-quality skills the country needs.”
‘A decade of funding cuts’
It adds that “a decade of almost continuous cuts and constant reforms have led to a significant reduction in the resources available for teaching and support for sixth formers in schools and colleges”.
Spending per student in FE and sixth-form colleges is now about 8 per cent lower than in secondary school, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies published last month.
It concludes that overall spending per student in FE had fallen by around 12 per cent in real terms since 2010. By 2019-20, funding per young person in FE will be at about the same level as in 2006-07 - and only 10 per cent higher than it was in 1989-90.
