Commenting on a new report by the The National Audit Office (NAO)
on the financial health of the mainstream school system, Paul
Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“The NAO is right to highlight the very significant cost
pressures schools have faced in recent years. With many local
services disappearing, schools have had no choice but to step in
an fill the gap – but this comes at a significant cost.
Underinvestment in SEND and the additional costs associated with
managing Covid are now putting school budgets under even more
strain.
“We need to be very careful when drawing conclusions about the
apparent financial health of the schools based on budget
surpluses alone. The reality is that many schools will simply not
be allowed to go into a deficit budget position and will be
forced to make cuts before that point is reached. With that in
mind, it is very alarming that the number of maintained schools
facing a budget deficit has doubled. The real question is what
have schools had to cut to arrive at this point?
“NAHT’s own research shows that schools have cut back on teaching
assistants and classroom resources in order to make ends meet.
Our research also shows that many schools are expecting to have
to make further cuts in the coming years.
“Over a decade of real-terms cuts and rising costs have put
schools under enormous financial pressure. The government is not
prioritising schools or young people. A far more ambitious
programme of investment is required if schools are going to be
able to deliver the education that the current generation of
pupils need and deserve.”
