Two-thirds (66%) of the 11,000 school principals polled by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said they would have to lay off teaching assistants or reduce their hours, while half (50%) were looking to cut of teachers or teaching hours as they struggle with rising costs. The NAHT said the impact of such cuts would be “devastating”, leading to larger class sizes and less support for vulnerable pupils with the greatest needs. “The anger and despair I hear from my members is unprecedented,” said NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman, who added: “This cannot be allowed to happen.” Almost half (47%) of those surveyed said they would be forced to cut back on counselling, treatment and mental health support in schools, while almost a third (31%) were considering reducing the number of children receiving tuition fees as part of the government’s Covid recovery plans. The NAHT said pupils who need extra support, many with special educational needs, will be among those hardest hit by the cuts, with more than four in 10 (44%) head teachers planning to cut spending on targeted interventions for students. Speech therapy is also at risk. The union, whose members work mainly in primary schools, also warned that many head teachers will no longer be able to afford to provide extra help to families hit hardest by the cost of living crisis, including breakfast and help with clothes and laundry. More than half (54%) of respondents warned their school would run a deficit this academic year, without cuts. Next year the situation looks set to worsen further, with more than nine in 10 schools warning that they will not be able to balance their budgets without drastic measures. The NAHT said schools were facing “a perfect storm” of eye-watering energy bills, rising costs and the added burden of an unfunded pay rise this year. “With no fat to trim after a decade of austerity, many thousands of schools are now looking at the deficit unless they make big cuts. Education is really in jeopardy,” Whiteman said. “Respondents to this survey represent a significant proportion of the education profession – leaders out there in schools, on the front lines, who see the real desperation of the situation. They don’t sound the alarm bells lightly – when they speak, the government needs to listen. We need to see urgent action on education spending ahead of the next budget update.” The Chancellor is due to give his Autumn Statement on November 17, when he is expected to set out a program of tax rises and spending cuts totaling £60bn. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, however, school funding is already expected to be 3% lower in real terms in 2024/25 than in 2010. Meanwhile, the NAHT and other education unions have revived the School Cuts website, which helped make school funding a key issue in the 2017 general election. A fully updated website will launch on Tuesday with new forecasts showing that 90% of schools with comparable data will have lower funding per pupil in real terms in 2023-24 than in 2022-23, with real funding per pupil falling by £147 over the same period. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Schools have been on their knees for too long and cannot face another era of austerity. The government needs to change course on education funding and invest in our future.” A Department for Education spokesman said: “We understand the challenges facing schools due to high inflation. To support them now, we are giving schools £53.8bn this year in core funding, including a £4bn cash boost for this financial year. This is a 7% per pupil increase in cash across all schools and high needs. “All schools will benefit from the energy bill relief scheme, reducing the amount they need to spend on their energy and giving them more certainty about their budgets over the winter months. We also provide schools with tools and information to help them get the best value for money from their resources.”
