Dr Phil Budgell
Education Leadership Consultancy – Sheffield, UK
https://doi.org/10.53656/voc23-310addr
Abstract. Initially, this paper illustrates the 20% fall between 2001 and 2021 in the population of The Province, The Municipality and within The City. It then goes on to illustrate that, despite an 18% fall in the number of school enrolments between 2011 and 2021, no schools were closed by The Municipality. The paper then indicates the two major problems arising from this lack of intervention: a large number of surplus places and a complex organisation and structure of schools; too many small school, large two-shift comprehensive community schools and problems recruiting specialist teachers. The paper then acknowledges that The Municipality has had no option other than to develop an expensive Funding Formula: the only real solution being to address the cause; i.e., the structure and organisation of the school system.
Keywords: municipality; major problems; small school; two-shift comprehensive community schools; recruiting; specialist; teachers