80% of schools will be worse off in 2020, claim campaigners
- Classroom Voice
- Oct 17, 2019
- 2 min read
Despite the government’s announcement that the schools budget will rise to £7.1 billion by 2022, campaigners have claimed that the majority of British schools will be worse off in 2020 than they were in 2015.
Following the Conservative Party Conference on September 30th, the School Cuts Campaign made the claim that about 16,000 schools will have less money per pupil in 2020 in real terms than in 2015, and that the budget allocation to schools in 2020-21 will need a further £2.5 billion to reverse cuts.
The campaigners also announced that around a third of all schools will see cuts to their budgets next year as school costs exceed inflation. Furthermore, while the promised new budget earmarks £700 million for students with special educational needs, the unions claim that the High Needs Block will still be £1.5 billion short of what is needed.
Geoff Barton, the Association of School and College Leaders general Secretary, said: “Analysis by the School Cuts coalition shows the additional funding is not enough to repair the damage that has been done to our schools and colleges and that further investment is required.
“We are not being churlish, we are just stating the facts. The funding crisis is not over.”
‘DfE extra cash still sees 80% of schools worse off’ (TES) School Funding: 4 in 5 schools worse off under Government spending plans, finds new analysis (NEU) Funding for 80% of schools in England 'worse next year than 2015' (The Independent)
Why should this matter to me?
This report highlights that schools’ budgets haven’t seen a significant increase – or even an increase in line with inflation – in many years. This may mean that schools are less likely to take on big projects or expenses. However, as these budget concerns show no immediate sign of ending, it may also mean that schools are willing to shoulder short-term costs in exchange for long-term savings.
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