The Reading / Listening - Head Teachers - Level 1

Schools in England have little money to spend. They have to cut back on things. The government has cut budgets. A head teacher in London cannot pay for cleaners or canteen staff. She has to help clean the toilets herself. She told reporters she was embarrassed because her school did not have enough money to support students. She has sold school land, cut subjects and fired teachers to keep her school open.

The London school is like many in the UK. Schools have made difficult decisions about how to spend their money. Schools wrote to millions of parents to explain there is no money. Schools asked parents to volunteer. Some schools asked parents for toilet paper and classroom basics. Students in one school get just one sheet of A4 paper a month. Teachers want to meet the education secretary, but he said no. The UK government said education is a priority.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Head Teachers - Level 0 Head Teachers - Level 2   or  Head Teachers - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/education-47482587
  • https://inews.co.uk/news/education/head-teacher-clean-toilets-serve-luch-school-funding-cuts/
  • https://edexec.co.uk/head-teacher-forced-to-scrub-school-toilets-due-to-lack-of-funding/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. cut back
  2. The government has
  3. pay for cleaners or
  4. help clean the toilets
  5. have enough money to
  6. She has sold school
  7. cut subjects and fired
  8. keep her school
  1. support students
  2. canteen staff
  3. open
  4. cut budgets
  5. teachers
  6. herself
  7. on things
  8. land

Paragraph 2

  1. The London school is like
  2. Schools have made difficult
  3. explain there
  4. Schools asked parents
  5. toilet paper and
  6. one sheet of A4
  7. the education
  8. education is a
  1. classroom basics
  2. secretary
  3. decisions
  4. priority
  5. is no money
  6. to volunteer
  7. many in the UK
  8. paper a month

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Schools in England (1) ___________________ to spend. They have to cut back on things. The government (2) ___________________. A head teacher in London cannot (3) ___________________ or canteen staff. She has (4) ___________________ the toilets herself. She told reporters she was embarrassed because her school did not have enough (5) ___________________ students. She has sold school land, cut subjects and fired teachers (6) ___________________ school open.

The London school is (7) ___________________ the UK. Schools have made difficult decisions about (8) ___________________ their money. Schools wrote to millions of parents to explain there is no money. Schools (9) ___________________ volunteer. Some schools (10) ___________________ toilet paper and classroom basics. Students in one school get just one sheet of A4 paper a month. Teachers want (11) ___________________ education secretary, but he said no. The UK government said education (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SchoolsinEnglandhavelittlemoneytospend.Theyhavetocutbackonth
ings.Thegovernmenthascutbudgets.AheadteacherinLondoncannot
payforcleanersorcanteenstaff.Shehastohelpcleanthetoiletsherself.
Shetoldreportersshewasembarrassedbecauseherschooldidnothave
enoughmoneytosupportstudents.Shehassoldschoolland,cutsubject
sandfiredteacherstokeepherschoolopen.TheLondonschoolislikeman
yintheUK.Schoolshavemadedifficultdecisionsabouthowtospendthei
rmoney.Schoolswrotetomillionsofparentstoexplainthereisnomoney
.Schoolsaskedparentstovolunteer.Someschoolsaskedparentsfortoil
etpaperandclassroombasics.Studentsinoneschoolgetjustonesheeto
fA4paperamonth.Teacherswanttomeettheeducationsecretary,buth
esaidno.TheUKgovernmentsaideducationisapriority.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You