More than half of schools planning to axe staff, research shows

The survey includes the opinions of 1,300 school leaders and was conducted by law firm Browne Jacobson. The data shows that 55 per cent of head teachers expect to cut staff costs, while 36 per cent of heads are planning to reduce the overall size of their leadership teams across the next 12 months.

The news has arisen after it was revealed ministers are considering more drastic cuts to school funding as the Treasury seeks to balance the public’s finances.

Included in cuts, the Department for Education (DfE) is proposing to shrink the Education Services Grant (ESG), funds which are used to support academies to cover the cost of services that would otherwise be provided by local authorities.

It is expected that the 16-19 budget will see the worst cuts in next week’s Spending Review, followed by the early years sector.

However, the DfE has been forced to raid the ESG budget, after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to protect universal free school meals for infants, which committed the DfE to spending an additional £600 million per year.

Brian Lightman, ASCL’s general secretary, commented on the survey’s findings. He said: “School leaders do everything in their power to minimise the impact on their pupils, but budget reductions on this scale inevitably mean cutting courses and increasing class sizes.

“We are particularly worried about the woefully inadequate level of funding for post-16 education which is having a significant and detrimental impact on schools, sixth forms and colleges. Education is an investment in the future of young people and the economy. We are failing to put enough money into that investment and without urgent action we will pay a long-term price.”

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