HEADTEACHERS across Wrexham have responded to education budget cuts in the county with a letter to concerned parents.

The local authority is faced with plugging a forecast budget blackhole of £22.6m for the next financial year.

Senior councillors previously said a reduction in central government funding had left them with no choice but to make savings from the education budget, with redundancies likely to follow.

Schools in Wrexham received their indicative budgets for next year last Friday, with at least one primary school said to be facing a six-figure deficit.

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A statement from secondary headteachers read: "Wrexham secondary headteachers and governing bodies have written collectively to parents to inform them of the significant impact the cut to education funding will have on Wrexham's young people.

"As we emphasise in the letter, we remain committed to the children and staff in our care. An essential part of this commitment in the current difficult economic climate is to ensure we are investing in our children and their future."

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The letter, released today from the Wrexham Association of Secondary Headteachers (WASH) to parents, stresses the "significant challenges" imposed by the financial constraints.

It continues: "Of greatest concern to headteachers and governing bodies is the impact this will have on learners across Wrexham.

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"Increasing energy costs have already placed an enormous burden on school budgets and continued increases add to the difficulties outlined above. In addition, Welsh Government grants, which schools use to support our learners and drive school improvement, are at risk.

"For these reasons we are writing to ensure that all parents and carers are fully informed of the significant consequences all our schools are currently facing in relation to our budgets and the subsequent impact on the services we will be able to provide."

WASH list the likely impact of cuts to school finances, including:

• It will be difficult to maintain and develop a comprehensive curriculum that meets the diverse needs of all our learners.

• Limitations on resources, including staff time to run extracurricular activities and trips which can diminish the breadth, richness and quality of the education we aim to provide.

• Increased class sizes.

• ALN Reform will be affected, impacting on our most vulnerable learners as specialist support services are reduced at a time of great need.

The letter ends: "As headteachers, we assure our families that we will always do our utmost to maintain the core provision in our schools, protecting teaching and learning by placing our learners and staff at the heart of everything we do.

"However, we believe it is inevitable that, at least in the medium term, we will not be able to provide and sustain the same level of support and services across our schools due to the significant shortfall in our funding.

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"Your support and understanding during these challenging times is invaluable. We will continue to ensure that our concerns are shared at local and national level. We would encourage you to join us in voicing your concerns with local councillors and Assembly Ministers so that our families have a say about the impact these cuts to our education funding will have on our children."

Members of the council's ruling independent/Conservative coalition have now approved measures worth £13.8m to address the financial deficit for 2024/25, leaving a gap of £8.8m left to fill.

Further proposals are due to be brought before the executive board later this month as it looks to set a legally balanced budget.