How will schools manage to keep costs down during the winter?
This article from TES stated that some schools are seeing their energy bills reaching £54,000 over their intended budget for the month. This is expected to worsen as we approach the winter period.
As well as energy prices increasing by up to 300%, teachers are also expected to receive a pay rise later in September, these increases combined will put tremendous pressure onto the school budget which itself is only set to see a 7% increase per pupil. This will leave schools with no other option but to reduce costs in some way.
Here are some of the ways schools are predicted to reduce costs:
· Reduced days
· Shrinking school meals
· Increased Class sizes
· Recruitment Freezes
Despite the governments warning against it, schools may be forced into a situation where closing their facilities is the only option to combat the rising prices. In the event of schools being forced to close, we could see a return to the hybrid style of learning which relies on remote classrooms – echoing the way education was tackled during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Smaller meal portions may also be introduced as the schools aim to cut costs to address not only the rising energy costs but also the sharp increase in food prices. Marks and Spencer chairman said it "wouldn't be surprising" to see food price inflation over the course of the year "running towards 8 to 10%".
If schools are following the government’s guidelines and remain open during the winter, it is likely that we will see increased class sizes as schools attempt to be more efficient with their energy consumption.
A freeze on recruitment is one of the more likely outcomes of the recent surge in energy prices. However, schools must proceed with caution as reported in the Guardian “44% of teachers plan to quit within the first 5 years”. Therefore, it is important that schools manage this correctly to ensure the delivery of education remains at a high standard.
How will teachers and pupils be affected by the increase in energy prices?
If prices of energy are continuing to rise, schools will have no other choice but to implement these strategies to reduce school costs, but what effect will this have on the students?
A reduction in the number of open days could have detrimental effects on the pupils’ education, with some schools suggesting up to a 40% reduction in the amount of time students spend in schools. However, this article from the BBC stated that the latest A-level results from students, who were subjected to social distancing measures, still received higher results than students pre-Covid. This suggests that schools can implement remote learning without any significant impact on the pupils’ education.
As well as reducing the school days, an increase in class sizes is another way schools may keep costs down. This could be bad news for teachers already struggling to meet the diverse needs of their pupils and will mean a reduction in the one-on-one teaching opportunities they can provide.
Poor pupil nutrition may also be an effect of schools reducing costs, as some schools look to reduce the size of the school meals they provide. It is vital that schools do not neglect the students’ nutrition if they opt for this method.
So, what should schools do to reduce costs?
It is not 100% clear at this moment in time what schools need to be doing to manage their budgets during this period. However, as we move forward, we will see how schools adjust with other increases, such as staffing and food costs, and not just the energy increase.
It is not all doom and gloom as it may seem. Energy prices may see a decline as we approach the end of the year, as a new movement is emerging - the Do Not Pay movement. This has been created in light of the skyrocketing energy prices, and their goal is to get one million people on board with their plan to cancel direct debits to energy companies on October 1st . If successful, it is likely that there will be a decrease in energy prices that will follow shortly after October 1st.
Although there is a lot of uncertainty at this current moment, the best plan of action for schools is to start preparing for prices to increase over the upcoming months and adjust their budgets accordingly in ways that will impact learners the least.