Teaching union says reverse funding cuts

EDUCATION Secretary Justine Greening

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A TEACHING union is warning that Oldham schools face a "perfect storm" of being told to improve while being "robbed" of the money they need to do so.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is calling for the government to reverse funding cuts after a National Audit Office (NAO) report found that schools will have to make £3 billion worth of savings by 2019/20.

The report released yesterday by Whitehall's spending watchdog said that although average per-pupil funding will rise, it actually amounts to a real-terms reduction of eight per cent once inflation is taken into account.

The Department for Education expects schools to save £1.3 billion through better purchasing and £1.7 billion by using their staff more efficiently.

But despite ministers saying this can be achieved while maintaining high standards, the NAO says they have not issued any details to schools about how the savings might be achieved. And it stressed that schools could make choices which "put educational outcomes at risk".

Sir Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: "Mainstream schools have to make £3 billion in efficiency savings by 2019/20 against a background of growing pupil numbers and a real-terms reduction in funding per pupil.

"The department is looking to schools to finance high standards by making savings and operating more efficiently but has not yet completed its work to help schools secure crucial procurement and workforce savings.

"Based on our experience in other parts of government, this approach involves significant risks that need to be actively managed.

"Schools could make the 'desirable' efficiencies that the department judges feasible or could make spending choices that put educational outcomes at risk.

"The department, therefore, needs effective oversight arrangements that give early warning of problems, and it needs to be ready to intervene quickly where problems do arise."

Tony Harrison, joint secretary of Oldham NUT said: "The report heralds a perfect storm facing schools in Oldham and in the rest of England. At the same time as the government is insisting that schools improve it is robbing them of the financial resources needed to stay still let alone improve.

Workload

"This perfect storm comprises of a toxic mix for classroom teachers. We already know that unsustainable workload is leading to many teachers leaving the profession and many newly-qualified teachers leave to get other jobs after only a couple of years of teaching.

"This has led to a teacher shortage at the same time as pupil numbers are steadily rising. So work overload and rising numbers of pupils are taking pace when budgets face a reduction well in excess of 10 per cent for many schools.

"Something has to give; the Government must reverse its cuts and invest in our schools for the sake of our social and economic future."

More than 10,000 schools will see their funding increase under the Government's new funding formula, according to Education Secretary Justine Greening.

She said more than 3,000 schools will receive an increase of more than five per cent as the Government looks to create a fairer system of funding.

Meanwhile, any schools losing out under the new deal will have their losses limited with none to face an overall reduction in per pupil funding of more than three per cent.

Ms Greening said in a statement to MPs: "Our proposed reforms will mean that schools and local authorities across England that have been underfunded for years will see their funding increase.

"Our proposed formula will result in more than 10,000 schools now gaining funding and more than 3,000 of them receiving an increase of more than 5 per cent.

"No school will face a reduction of more than three per cent per pupil overall as a result of the new formula and none will lose more than 1.5 per cent per pupil per year."

The aim of the national funding formula is to ensure schools are funded based on the needs of pupils.

Ms Greening said a final stage of consultation will now take place on the Government's proposals before the formula is implemented.