Children’s learning and opportunities are being put at risk,
Labour has warned, as the Conservatives’ failure to get a grip on
rising prices puts the squeeze on school budgets.
School energy bills doubled in the last year, according to data
compiled by the House of Commons Library, with further price
rises expected as fixed term contracts come to an end.
The new figures suggest that non-domestic gas and electricity
prices almost doubled in 2021, mainly driven by the rise in the
cost of wholesale gas prices.
Headteachers last year warned they were being forced to strip
back additional support for children with special educational
needs and disabilities, staff numbers and activities such as
breakfast and afterschool clubs.
Labour’s Shadow Schools Minister, has urged Ministers to
work with schools to ensure children do not lose out on further
opportunities due to cost pressures.
Unlike domestic customers, schools are not subject to the energy
price cap, meaning there is no limit on the price rises they
could face as wholesale prices increase.
An investigation by SchoolsWeek recently found that schools in
the North East could expect their bills to rise by to one and a
half times their current level as prices soar.
, Labour’s Shadow Schools
Minister, said:
“Children have already faced huge disruption due to the
government’s chaotic handling of the pandemic and now the
cost-of-living crisis, made worse by Downing Street, is further
squeezing school budgets.
“Ministers must get a grip and engage with schools to ensure
children do not lose out on further opportunities.
“Labour is calling on the government to prioritise children’s
learning and development post-pandemic, with breakfast and
afterschool clubs, tutoring and mental health support. The
Education Secretary must match this ambition with a proper plan
to secure children’s futures.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Non-domestic gas and electricity prices rose by 93% in 2021,
nearly doubling:
Energy consumption in the
UK 2021 (End use table U6), BEIS; Gas and electricity prices
in the non-domestic sector (Table 3.4.1), BEIS. Figures
assume changes in these prices for ‘medium’ non-domestic
consumers reflect the price increases for schools for all types
of energy.
SchoolsWeek, Energy crisis hits schools as bills rise
50%: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/energy-crisis-hits-schools-as-bills-to-rise-50/
School spending per pupil in England fell by 9% in real terms
between 2009–10 and 2019–20. This represents the largest cut in
over 40 years … we project that spending per pupil in 2024 will
be at about the same level as in 2010. https://ifs.org.uk/publications/15858
o Small group tutoring for all who need it
o Breakfast clubs and activities for every
child
o Quality mental health support for
children in every school
o Continued professional development for
teachers to support pupils to catch up on lost learning, and
o Targeted extra investment from early
years to further education to support young people who struggled
most with learning in lockdown
