School head says rising costs affecting children

As reported by the BBC, the head of seven primary schools said children were suffering due to rising energy bills and staff costs which left him feeling ‘out of control’

Fuel bills at Eveleigh Link Academy Trust in Essex went up this year to nearly £300,000 from £115,000, which chief executive Joseph Figg described as “a massive weight on my shoulders because of the impact on the children”.

The government said schools would benefit from the Energy Relief Scheme and a funding rise of £4bn this year, but Mr Figg said increased fuel costs on top of “unfunded [teacher] pay rises” had “tipped it over the edge”.

The trust educates more than 1,300 pupils at state schools in Chelmsford, Runwell, Purleigh, Colchester and Tiptree. He estimated the trust would face a deficit of £200,000 in the academic year ending in July 2022, and a potential deficit this academic year of £340,000.

Cuts had already been made in online and curriculum resources, and building costs, he said, and the trust was redeploying staff to support children with additional needs instead of employing new staff. It had also cut spending on a play therapist who had supported children after the pandemic with “real social and emotional needs”, he said.

“This year we’re not providing that, because we can’t afford to,” Mr Figg said. “It feels really sad.”

He said the government support package announced in September would help, but “we’re not going to get any way near what we’re paying”.

“The government needs to get on the ground and come into schools, and see what we’re dealing with,” he added.

“That’s what makes it really tough at the moment and we feel out of control.

“[The government] have got to listen otherwise it will be a generation of children that will suffer.”

Pay for most teachers in England is rising by 5% this year, which has to be paid for by schools out of existing budgets. The Department for Education (DfE) said core school funding was increasing by £4bn this year to £53.8bn. It added it was providing schools with tools to get the best value for money from resources.

A DfE spokesperson said: “All schools will benefit from the Energy Relief Scheme, capping how much schools need to spend on their energy and giving them greater certainty over their budgets over the winter months.”