Commenting on today’s written
ministerial statement on school funding,
Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education
Union,
said:
"This announcement is very damaging to
our children’s education as it looks like this Government is
returning to the bad days of austerity and away from any sense of
levelling up.
"A £1.5bn increase to school funding
2023-24 might have looked good when first announced in the 2021
Spending Review, but the surge in inflation since then means it’s
a big real-terms cut for education
spending.
"Over half of schools will only
receive a 0.5% per pupil increase - perhaps as much as 9% behind
inflation. 22% are funded at the minimum funding level and a
further 31% are funded at the rate set by the funding floor. This
is a very big real-terms cut for over half of
schools.
"Even the schools getting 2.4% will be
well behind inflation. This will compromise schools’ efforts to
address their pupils’ wellbeing and Covid recovery
needs.
"The Government needs to recognise the
changed circumstances since the 2021 Spending Review and put more
money into our children’s futures.
"The NEU will reach out to parents,
school governors and other unions to challenge this proposed
funding settlement - it simply doesn't meet the needs of our
children or our schools."
