Commenting on the Prime Minister’s
announcement of six months’ support for schools and colleges, in
order to tackle rising energy bills,
Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education
Union,
said:
"The Government’s announcement that
they will freeze energy prices for schools and colleges for six
months will do nothing to mitigate the increases that have
already happened. Many schools have already seen their energy
bills triple or more. (1) The proposal only provides six-month
protection at an unmanageably high level and does not
provide security for the future.
"School funding remains lower in real
terms than it was in 2010. The sharp increase in school costs
means that the last Prime Minister’s promise to restore school
funding will not be met (2) unless funding is increased. Schools
will continue to be forced to increase class sizes, cut subject
choice, and reduce additional support unless more money is
committed. (3)
"The Government must step up to
protect children’s education now. Schools are striving to recover
from the pandemic and the rise in the cost of energy and the
chronic lack of funding will derail that work."
Editor’s
Note
1 Schools Week, ‘Apocalyptic’:
500 per cent energy price hikes plunge schools into winter
crisis, 6 September 2022https://schoolsweek.co.uk/school-energy-bills-government-help-apocalyptic-rises/
2 IFS, School spending and costs: the coming crunch, 2
August 2022 https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/output_url_files/IFS-BN347-School-spending-and-costs-the-coming-crunch.pdf
3 Teacher Tapp, School Funding
and the Cost of Living in 2022. 2 August 2022 https://teachertapp.co.uk/school-funding-and-the-cost-of-living-in-2022/
