Responding to today's Budget Statement, Nick Harrison,
CEO of the Sutton Trust, said:
‘This is a very bare bones Budget for education. Although it's
great to see the end of the two-child benefit cap, today's Budget
marks a missed opportunity to take action on the attainment gap
in schools between the most and least disadvantaged pupils.
‘Changes to measures such as the national funding formula and
pupil premium would have gone a long way towards this. There was
also no further detail set out on maintenance arrangements for
students, and no measures to widen access to early education and
childcare for the poorest households.
‘The measures to reduce costs for SMEs training young apprentices
are encouraging, but we need to see bolder reforms of the
apprenticeship system to truly move the dial on increasing the
supply of these opportunities for those aged under 25.'
On lack of additional school funding for disadvantaged
pupils:
‘It's disappointing to see no concrete measures aimed at closing
the attainment gap in schools between the most and least
disadvantaged pupils. Rebalancing the national funding formula
would have been a good cost-neutral step in the right direction.
And the Pupil Premium to support young people from poorer
backgrounds has been eroded in real terms since 2014-15. It
should be restored to previous levels, and expanded to cover
16-19 year olds. Disadvantage doesn't stop at age 16, so neither
should support for in education those who need it.'
On scrapping the two-child benefit cap:
‘The scrapping of the two-child benefit cap will have a major
impact on tackling poverty and disadvantage, ensuring more
families can meet their basic needs. This will also help reduce
hunger in schools, as child poverty has a big impact on learning
outcomes. Hungry pupils find it harder to concentrate and engage
in the classroom, they're more likely to be absent from school,
and more likely to engage in disruptive behaviour.
‘Alongside the ongoing expansion of free school meals and
breakfast clubs, this measure will make a big difference to
children from the poorest homes.'
On the lack of news on maintenance grants:
‘The re-introduction of maintenance grants for some courses is a
step in the right direction, but it's disappointing to see no
update on the frozen parental income thresholds that determine
loan eligibility. These have been frozen since 2008 and are now
totally inadequate.
‘A third of students from working class families have skipped
meals to save on food costs, while half have missed classes or
deadlines due to having to do paid work to make ends meet. While
it's understandable that fiscal pressures limit what's doable
right now, over time maintenance grants should be extended to all
students from low-income families.'
On the lack of early education and childcare
measures:
‘This Budget was a missed opportunity to ensure the poorest
households can access the 30 hour childcare entitlement. Just 20%
of families earning less than £20,000 a year are eligible,
despite their young children potentially benefiting the most from
greater access to high quality early education.
‘To widen opportunities for disadvantaged children and their
families, and work towards the government's school-readiness
target, the 30 hour offer should be extended to less well-off
households at ages three and four. These kids are currently
locked out because their parents don't earn enough, that's
fundamentally unfair and a disaster for their longer-term
prospects.'
On apprenticeships measures:
‘Today's announcement to make SME's apprenticeships training free
for those aged under 25 is a welcome step. More quality
apprenticeships for young people are much needed, and this could
increase local opportunities in more deprived areas of the
country.'
‘Increasing the national minimum wage for apprentices is also a
welcome step. Apprenticeships have the potential to be a powerful
tool for social mobility, offering an alternative route to highly
skilled industries.'
‘However, the government could have gone further in rebalancing
apprenticeship opportunities, which remain skewed towards older
workers. This could have involved increasing employer incentives
for hiring young apprentices who are eligible for free school
meals, and ringfencing at least 50% of large companies'
Apprenticeship Levy funds for apprentices under 25. This could
incentivise large employers to create more entry-level positions,
directly addressing the supply issue and broadening the options
available to school and college leavers from disadvantaged
backgrounds.'
And commenting on the SEND measures set out in the OBR
forecast, Billy Huband-Thompson, Head of Research and Policy
said:
‘Government has committed to foot the bill for SEND within the
existing departmental envelope from 2028/29. As we await the
details of the forthcoming White Paper, it's absolutely vital
that urgent reforms to the SEND system do not lead to school
funding cuts. We know that school leaders and teachers are
already struggling within current budget constraints and any
further squeeze threatens to undermine efforts to close the
attainment gap.'
