The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today
published a submission to HM Treasury ahead of the Spring Budget.
ASCL is calling on the Chancellor to commit to providing
sufficient funding to totally eradicate RAAC from the school and
college estate. The submission makes the case for a new recovery
funding stream for all schools impacted by RAAC and asks for the
government to deliver the shortfall of £4.4 billion that
currently exists in the annual schools capital budget.
ASCL is also calling for the government to deliver the shortfall
of £4.6 billion within the high needs block, and introduce a VAT
reimbursement scheme for colleges.
Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School
and College Leaders, said: “The Autumn Statement was delivered
against a backdrop of school buildings being declared unsafe, a
worsening recruitment and retention crisis and growing funding
shortfalls. Despite this, and the Prime Minister’s promise that
his main funding priority in every spending review will be
education, schools and colleges were barely given a mention. The
Chancellor must not make the same mistake again.
“The neglect of the school estate must be addressed as a matter
of urgency. The RAAC crisis is not a short-term problem, schools
affected are already reporting reduced admission applications for
September and face financial detriment for many years to come.
There must be a commitment to eradicating RAAC from the school
and college estate and ensuring all pupils and staff can work in
buildings that are fit for purpose.”
ASCL’s full submission is available here.
