The impact of the school funding crisis on the level of
individual support that schools are able to offer their students
is set to worsen over the next 12 months, according to a survey
by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
More than half (56%) of school business leaders say cost savings
have resulted in reduced individual support for students over the
past 12 months, but over the next 12 months this rises to 65% who
expect that cost savings will result in reduced support.
Similarly, 23% say that funding pressures have resulted in
reduced mental health support over the past 12 months, but this
figure rises to 32% who expect this to be the case over the next
12 months.
The pattern is the same for enrichment activities, and curriculum
options, with more school business leaders expecting reduced
provision over the year ahead than over the past 12 months.
The results of the survey of 238 business leaders of schools in
England are being released today (Thursday 17 May) at ASCL’s
Conference for Business Leaders, which is being held in
Nottingham.
The findings reflect widespread cutbacks in staffing levels.
Thirty four per cent said the senior leadership team had been
reduced, 41% said the number of teachers had been cut, and 77%
said the number of support staff had been reduced over the past
12 months. More staffing cutbacks will take place over the next
12 months.
This is happening because government spending on education has
failed to keep pace with rising costs. As a result £2.8bn has
been cut from school budgets since 2015.
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said: “The message of this survey could not be
more stark. Unless the government takes urgent action over the
school funding crisis the vital work that schools do will be
increasingly eroded.
“Their ability to provide individual support to students –
working with often vulnerable young people to overcome barriers
to learning – will be further undermined. So too will their
capacity to provide mental health support, as well as a full
range of enrichment and curriculum options.
“Hard-won standards are being put at risk by chronic government
under-investment.”
One school business leader said: “We've run out of rabbits to
pull from hats. Every contract and cost has been reviewed, every
ounce of surplus fat removed and every stream streamlined. We are
at the point now where if funding does not rise in real terms
education is going to suffer.”
Another said: “We have been living with this nightmare for too
long. When will the government realise that they are damaging the
futures of our students?”
Other findings from our survey included:
- · Nearly all
respondents (99%) have had to make cost savings over the past 12
months, with nearly half (46%) saying this amounted to over
£100,000.
- · Half said their
school was running with an in-year deficit in the current
financial year, and 60% said they will be in deficit in the next
financial year.
- · More than nine in
10 (92%) said they will have to make cost savings over the next
12 months, with 40% saying this will amount to more than
£100,000.
- · Twenty one per
cent said the senior leadership team will be reduced, 43% said
there will be cuts to the number of teachers, and 64% said
support staff numbers will be reduced.
The online survey was sent to school business leaders at English
state schools in April 2018. Most respondents are from secondary
schools (66%), and the rest from primaries (25%) and all-through
schools, and from a mixture of academies, maintained and
voluntary-aided schools.
All percentages quoted in this press release have been rounded to
the nearest whole number. The full results are
available here.
