Austerity in Schools: “I can’t give you a new book, we don’t have enough”

By Bethany Morgan Smith, school student, Leicester West Socialist Party

At my school, students and teachers are desperate for resources. We barely have enough pens and glue sticks so we have to take turns to use three glue sticks that have already been overused.

In history, I asked for a new exercise book because I ran out of pages and the teacher said “I can’t give you a new book, we don’t have enough.”

Our form teacher gets messages saying ‘don’t print so much because we can’t afford the ink’, yet printing is needed for pupils and teachers.

This has all happened since my school became a privatised ‘academy’. I often hear the teachers talking about it to each other.

When I was in a drama performance we had to ask the crowd for funding. Teachers are having to pay for props and printing.

Education is in dire need of funding and support. Kids also need resourcing. This upsets me because education is a very important part of my life and others’ lives. It helps us towards a brighter future.

But the Tory government is cutting schools to shreds and being selfish and keeping the money to themselves instead of giving it to public services that we pay taxes for.

We deserve better. These services belong to the working class. The working class needs as good quality education as the richest people.

Very rich people have a brighter future because they can afford tutoring but the working class can’t.

I liked the Socialist’s article about ‘Prevent’ training. At my school, there is a poster on the wall (pictured).

I don’t think being anticapitalist is extremism. Also my teacher said that ‘communism’ will never work – but capitalism isn’t working for me and my mum.