Commenting on the incoming Prime Minister’s statements that
education and school funding is at the top of his domestic
agenda,Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Our message to is that, if he is serious
about a domestic agenda which includes education as his top
priority, we need more than just promises on the side of a bus.
We need real money for real pupils in real schools.
“The NEU together with ASCL, NAHT and the f40 group of
lowest-funded local authorities are calling for an additional
£12.6bn by 2022/23 in order to reverse these devastating cuts and
provide a standard of education that society expects. (1)
“This follows a calamitous era under and , in which real-terms funding
cuts have eaten savagely into the ability of schools and colleges
to fully serve the pupils and young people they teach.
“During his campaign announced £4.6bn by 2022/23,
an £8bn shortfall in what is needed. Most alarmingly there is no
mention of the crisis in special needs education in his school
funding plan and there is no mention of the pensions black hole
that will add £1.5bn to school costs. These are terrible and
damaging oversights.
“It is vital that looks again at his proposals
and takes heed of our broad coalition’s comprehensive analysis.
It is clear he and his party still do not fully understand the
scale of the crisis facing schools. The needs of schools will
grow significantly by 2022/23 because of the large rise in pupil
numbers and higher school costs. Unfortunately, the sums he
is proposing are not sufficient to cope with this – so, as he
said himself, it’s time to end the leadership campaign slogans
and begin the real hard work.”
Editor’s Note
(1) https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/coalition-unveils-long-term-funding-plan-reverse-education-cuts
