A cash crisis in our schools – again

Just when we hoped education funding had turned the corner, many schools face tough choices over losing teachers or buying fewer books and materials.

Kingston schools have not been spared. Around half of our schools will probably end up reducing staff. Many are crossing fingers, hoping things will improve and are digging into reserves.

What’s gone wrong?

The full answer is complex, but boils down to a simple statement: spending on schools has been going up, but cost pressures have been rising too. Salary pressures – especially here, where recruitment and retention is such a problem. Pensions. National insurance.

Factors like central Government grant changes explain why some areas have done worse. These changes, this year, meant Kingston Council was told to increase education spending by £1 million more than its entire grant increase!

Who’s to blame?

There been a huge row between councils and Government. Ministers lost.

In Kingston, for example, the Council increased the Schools Budget in line with the Department of Education’s Benchmark. In fact, the council “passported” 101% of the education increase into pupil services.

So it was Ministers who’d got their sums wrong.

Ministers had not reckoned for the impact of many changes combining in one year. They had not planned properly.

They have not yet apologised.

See my press release on this on Schools cash crisis