Commenting on the report by the House of Commons Education
Committee on school and college funding, Geoff Barton, General
Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“This report is a damning indictment of the government’s dreadful
record on school and college funding. It rightly identifies the
fact that the government’s mantra that ‘more money than ever is
going into education’ has added insult to injury at a time when
schools and colleges have suffered devastating real-terms cuts.
“It is spot-on about the need for a long-term education funding
plan which is based upon what schools and colleges actually need.
It is a fundamental weakness of the current funding system that
there is a complete disconnect between what is asked of the
education system and how much money is provided by the government
to meet those expectations.
“The committee is also right to identify the priority of
improving the level of funding for post-16 education and special
educational needs as a matter of the utmost urgency. The dire
inadequacy of funding in both sectors has precipitated an
absolute crisis which has severe implications for social fairness
and justice.
“ASCL has repeatedly called for improved education funding
alongside our partners in the School Cuts Coalition and other
organisations.
“We have carried out detailed analysis of the money that is
needed to provide every primary and secondary school with the
level of funding required to meet the expectations on them, and
we have worked with colleagues in other organisations to publish
a long-term education spending plan.1
“We are very pleased that the report of the Education Committee
supports the case for sustainable improved funding, and that
there is increasingly a political consensus for increased
investment, but we will continue to fight for this cause until we
actually see the money that the education system needs and pupils
deserve.”
1 Coalition unveils
long-term funding plan to reverse education cuts. 15 July
2019.
