My child shouldn't have to suffer in a freezing classroom

It's a proud moment for parents when a child starts a new school.

- JAMES MOORE

They stand on the stairs in their neatly pressed uniform, smiling (hopefully) for the obligatory photo, which really shouldn’t end up on social media (they’ll hate you for that if it does).

The happiness of the day is inevitably seasoned with a hint of bittersweet flavouring. There’s that sudden jolt: Christ, she’s growing up at the speed of the bullet train in that Brad Pitt movie. We’re on the parenting out-lap.

There’s a little bit of worry too. And that never quite goes away because it’s a parent’s job to worry. On the other hand, there’s the anticipation of watching them grow and succeed and start to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new place, especially after having overcome a decidedly bumpy last couple of years at primary school as a result of Covid.

Oh, wait. Because, what’s going to happen to those opportunities if the school goes bust? I mean, schools don’t go bust. But you know what I’m saying here. If the budget squeeze too many are experiencing morphs into something really nasty.

During my career as a school governor, I sat on the finance committee of my daughter’s primary school for a while. I experienced first-hand the struggles of coping with a lack of resources to meet one’s budgetary commitments, such as unfunded pay rises.

Sitting around the table discussing potential catch-22 situations, and how we might raise extra cash to fend them off, my head started to feel like it was in a vise. I’m not a governor any more. But the vise is still there today, in sympathy with those who are.