The National Education Union has released an analysis of school
income and expenditure drawn from the Consistent Financial
Reporting (CFR) returns for Local-Authority-maintained schools
for 2020-21 that were released last week
The analysis – available here – shows that:
- Whilst schools made one-off savings to non-staff expenditure
during the two national lockdowns – March to May 2020 and January
to March 2021 – their income remains significantly below its
level in 2015-16.
- Cuts to per pupil income are highest in schools teaching
pupils with the highest levels of deprivation – a significant
challenge to levelling up.
- The proportion of secondary schools with a revenue deficit is
lower in schools with the least deprivation.
- There is significant regional variation in the proportion of
schools with a revenue deficit, notably secondary schools in the
North East, which on average have no reserves, and the North East
is the most deprived region in the country.
- Special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision in
mainstream schools has not yet been restored to its level in
2015-16.
- Spending on pupils in special schools continues to fall year
on year and is now 10% below the level of 2015-16.
Commenting on the analysis, Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Schools have been able to make one-off savings because of
closure during the national lockdowns, but they are still in a
challenging position. For example they are not in a position to
reduce their class sizes from historically high levels – primary
class sizes are at highest level this century and secondary class
sizes are the highest since records began in 1978.
“It is disgraceful and in direct contradiction to stated
Government policy to level up England that cuts to schools have
been highest in schools with the highest levels of
deprivation.
“The situation for pupils with special needs is of great concern
and the Government’s long delayed Special Needs Review will not
succeed unless the Government find additional resources to
increase provision for these pupils.
“Unless the Government urgently addresses this then social
divisions will be entrenched even further.”
Editor’s Note:
The full report, methodology and datasets are available at:
https://bit.ly/CFR_2021
