On 19th May, governors at Imberhorne gave up their time to be in school. There is nothing unusual about that. Governors voluntarily give up their time to manage, monitor and drive strategic school improvements. But on this day, they undertook some less familiar tasks such as photocopying, administrative support, building maintenance and reception duties.

So why would dedicated governors give up their normal working day in this way? For months, governors in West Sussex have been working with Headteachers to highlight the unfairness and current inadequacy in school funding. Many words have been spoken at meetings and consultations, written down, broadcast and published. All has been fruitless. Except for occasional sympathy, the official response has been brusque, repetitive and dismissive. We are required to make more efficiency savings and are informed that school funding nationally has never been greater. A simplistic response which conveniently ignores pertinent truths.

• School budgets have been frozen for many years and have already necessitated cuts and savings impacting upon investment and school improvements.
• Nationally, pupil numbers have never been greater meaning that overall funding in Education has risen but per pupil has not increased at all since 2010.
• The Department of Education has continuously imposed unfunded additional costs on schools, including levies in support of apprenticeship, higher national insurance contribution, pension funding and salaries. This has all reduced money available for education in real terms by about 6.5% in 2017 and set to rise in 2018.

Words have failed! Across West Sussex school governors have wanted to communicate the message in more tangible ways. Many are symbolically withdrawing their voluntary services for a period. Others are staging publicity events.

Imberhorne governors wanted to show solidarity with this campaign in an innovative way. They are proud of the school’s many achievements and determined to give the best quality learning experience for its students. They have been working hard to ensure that the significant funding shortfall they confront has as little impact as possible on students’ experience and education. Staff have been flexible in this challenge, prepared to vary working hours and take on new roles and additional responsibilities.

Unwilling to reduce what the school can offer to students, the only untapped resource left may be dedicated volunteers. To demonstrate what it might look like if fairer funding is not achieved, governors voluntarily gave up their time to a variety of school work. They undertook this in frustrated determination to support the school and its students in any way they can.

This is not about politics. This action is part of the continuing Worth Less campaign and our message is evenly directed to improve understanding of many schools’ current unsustainable funding position. Obviously, the prospect of governors working voluntarily in school is a solution similarly unsustainable. However, words have failed so now we try action.