Schools ‘on knife edge’ of finances

As reported in The Independent, stretched budgets are ‘genuine negative impact’ on quality of education

Headteachers have warned that schools are ‘on a knife edge’ due to strained budgets, forcing them to launch a campaign to fund the basics such as books and pencils.

Schools are having to cut back on staff, trips and courses as soaring energy bills and unfunded pay rises eat up budgets.

One platform, Lets Localise, has called for individuals and businesses to donate to a new campaign that will dish out money to English state schools asking for help. Some are looking for money to cover educational and playground equipment.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told The Independent it was “shameful” that schools were having to rely on charitable support because they were “so poorly funded” by government.

“The cost pressures faced by schools and colleges are huge and without additional government funding it is inevitable that there will be cuts,” he said.

“This will mean job losses, larger classes and reductions in student support, subject options and extracurricular programmes.”

Last month, a think tank warned that schools faced a period of financial ‘stagnation’ without a new cash injection from the government, with spending power set to stay below 2010 levels as inflation drove up costs.

Education unions criticised Friday’s mini-budget, which announced a host of tax cuts but ‘not a penny’ for schools.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We understand that schools – much like wider society – will face cost pressures due to increased global energy prices, which is why all schools will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, capping how much schools need to spend on their energy and giving them greater certainty over their budgets in the winter months.’

Core school funding had also increased by £4bn this year compared with the previous academic year, they said.

Schools could use the government’s school resource management programme to ‘help them get the best value from their resources’, including recommended deals for energy costs, the spokesperson added.