Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union responds to the Education Policy Institute (EPI) report, ‘Assessing Covid-19 cost pressures on England’s schools’. Ed
Despite much talk from ministers about education being a national priority, this report exposes the Government’s neglect of schools.
Schools have been reimbursed for only a third of the money they have spent managing Coronavirus with half of head teachers nationally saying that they expected their school to be in deficit by the end of the financial year.
Deficit in Island schools
We know half of maintained schools ran an in-year deficit on the Isle of Wight last year and this report suggests less than a third (31%) of the additional costs facing schools as a result of the pandemic are covered by the government’s support fund.
Planned local staff cuts
There has already been planned local staff cuts in schools this term and we know there are more scheduled for 2021, but these were calculated without accounting for additional coronavirus costs.
The estimated shortfall is £40 per pupil will certainly force most schools to make savings elsewhere and likely enter or extend their deficit balance.
Bankrupted by Coronavirus?
Government claims to want to build back better, but that will not be possible if schools are bankrupted by Coronavirus. Money was found to subsidise people eating out over the summer.
Surely Government must see that sufficiently funding schools and colleges is of greater importance and benefit.
Image: P Schadlerunder CC BY 2.0
