Commenting on the Education Policy Institute
report School funding pressures in
England, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“This new report from the Education Policy Institute confirms
what the National Education Union has been saying about the
impact of the Government’s real terms cuts to education
funding.
“With most schools overspending their income, it is clear that
schools’ needs are not being met by the Government. This
includes the need to invest in teachers and support staff.
As recent research by the School Cuts coalition of unions has
shown, class sizes have been increasing as a result of Government
underfunding. Increases in class size mean less individual
attention for children, but they also increase workload for
teachers and support staff – driving more people away from
teaching and intensifying the recruitment and retention crisis
that has developed. A high quality education service cannot
be delivered without investing in teachers and support
staff. The Government must restore the value of school
staff pay to 2010 pre-austerity levels, starting with an
immediate and fully-funded 5% pay increase for teachers to
address the growing teacher recruitment and retention crisis.
“Instead of ignoring the evidence, the Government must respond to
the concerns of parents and those working to deliver the
high-quality education service we need.”
