What we did at Labour Conference

At the end of September, we put school cuts front and centre at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. 

Ad vans circulated the city, making Conference-goers aware of the dramatic impact cuts have had on schools in the city they were in. They shared crucial figures, such as that 86% of schools in Liverpool that have less funding in real terms since 2010.

Teachers also got involved, with heads from 29 schools across Liverpool writing an open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Their letter, which was featured in the Liverpool Echo, called for a reversal of years of cuts.

They brought the effects of cuts to the Chancellor’s attention, noting that it has led to not just cuts in resources, but also to whole subjects and teaching staff.

In addition to the letter being printed in Liverpool’s newspaper, it was widely covered in the national press, including BBC, The Independent, ITV News, and the Evening Standard.

Coverage featured quotes from people like Headteacher Karen Barr, who shared how operating with a budget deficit makes it difficult for her teachers to give students the education they deserve. Another head, Christopher Davey, noted how cuts are impacting not just student progress but staff morale and wellbeing.

In Liverpool and beyond, cuts are putting enormous stress on educators and school staff, limiting their resources and impacting students’ wellbeing. As the headteachers highlighted, cuts inhibit a young person’s ability to learn each and every day. 

After all the noise we made at the Conference, we don’t want to lose the power of this moment. 

We need to make sure that MPs remember that school cuts aren’t just statistics: they’re classrooms without essentials, teachers stretched too thin, and children missing out.

Our schools simply can’t go on like this – shedding subjects, losing support staff, and cutting back on basic maintenance to balance the books.