A governor of a local primary school has spoken of his great concern about the impact of budget cuts on our local schools.

David Powell, who is also a visiting instrumental tutor in several Southwark primary schools, said: "It seems very likely that there will be a big reduction in Southwark this year, and possibly further cuts in future years. Despite some careful budgeting by schools aiming to protect excellence in teaching and learning, with the likely decrease in Pupil Premium it looks likely that children from poorer families are going to lose much-needed support. Many schools are already finding it difficult to cater for the significant rise in Special Educational Needs, particularly autism.

"The curriculum is being reduced to a narrow number of core subjects, and arts and creative subjects are being squeezed out, to the detriment of a well-rounded education. Many respected organisations have commented on how often our children are tested, without any significant improvement in results. This puts a lot of unnecessary stress on pupils and teachers alike."