Peter Shreeve shares this latest news on behalf of National Education Union. Ed
Despite additional funding announced by the government in August, School Cuts coalition analysis this week shows that over 80% of schools – around 16,000 – will still have less money per pupil in 2020 in real terms than they did when the cuts began to bite in 2015.
After relentless campaigning by head teachers, school staff and parents, the government finally accepted that schools have suffered billions in funding cuts. Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised school funding would be “levelled up across the entire country” and that there would be “no winners or losers”.
This is not the case.
New analysis by the School Cuts coalition (see below) paints a very different picture. Analysis shows:
- Children in almost all local authorities in England are still losing out, as the allocation to schools in 2020/21 still needs £2.5bn to reverse the cuts which have taken place since 2015.
- Around one third of all schools will see real-terms cuts to their budgets next year because school costs are greater than inflation.
- There will still be a shortfall of £1.1bn next year in the funding required to reverse devastating cuts in 16-19 education.
- Even after an additional £700m, the High Needs Block will still be £1.5bn short of what is needed to support the education of the most vulnerable children and young people.
Shreeve: One step forward, two steps back
Commenting on the analysis, Peter Shreeve, Joint Island Secretary of the National Education Union said:
“The analysis findings were expected, but nonetheless saddening. One step forward, two steps back is the frustration that we feel. Three areas are of particular concern:
- Maintained nursery schools: These schools are at serious risk if the Government does not give a commitment to continue their special grant beyond August 2020.
- Sixth form and colleges: Increasing student numbers and static funding in a system of rising costs suggests continued challenges for this sector.
- SEND: There is a significant risk that the High Needs budget will continue to run out of control and will have to be bailed out yet again with money from schools.
“We must remember schools won’t receive a penny of this new money until next year. In the meantime, schools are still having to rob Peter to pay Paul.
“Constant staff culling with repeated restructures, cutting teaching and support staff roles and salaries, squeezing of specialist departments, particularly those which support SEND and staff spending their own salaries on buying basic school equipment for their pupils. All these actions related to cash-starved schools have been well documented.
“The School Cuts coalition is calling on the government to honour its promise to give schools the funding they need and to reverse in full the cuts made since 2015. The coalition will relaunch its website with updated school-by-school figures as soon as the Government releases next year’s funding allocations.
“We still need to repair the damage that has been done to our schools and colleges. Let’s not be fooled. The funding crisis is not over!”
Image: Todd Binger under CC BY 2.0
