Budget devolution plans must not force more schools into multi academy trusts, says NASUWT

Commenting on today's Budget announcements, Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT The Teachers' Union, said:

Teachers are still waiting for Andy Burnham to put his money where his mouth is. This budget will do little to support our severely underfunded education system or to lessen the real terms pay cuts faced by teachers up and down the country.

Measures to address broader cost of living concerns are welcome. If we are to tackle underachievement in education and some of the financial pressures faced by early career teachers, we must start with increasing the availability of affordable housing and reducing the cost of energy bills. Taxes on corporate profiteering and extreme personal wealth would allow the government to further support working people, and it is disappointing to see that such measures have not been included.

Further scrutiny will be needed for devolved allocation as it is unclear how devolution will affect local education funding in the long term. In the face of increased costs around SEND, local authorities will continue to require extra financial support. We cannot allow a gradually devolved funding system to push more schools into multi-academy trusts, especially when these trusts face little accountability in terms of spending and profiteering.