School funding crisis is having a negative impact on performance, poll shows

A new poll by school leader’s union NAHT highlights the full impact of the funding crisis hitting schools.

The ‘Breaking Point 2018’ poll of 589 school leaders in England and Wales found that more than a fifth (21 per cent) of respondents said their budget for 2017/18 was in deficit; a 13 percentage point increase since 2015.

Sixty-five per cent said they strongly agreed that the reductions they have had to make have resulted in a negative impact on the performance of the school.

It also found that eight per cent said they did not foresee a year where they would have “untenable deficit”.

When asked which one factor was causing the greatest financial pressure on schools, ‘additional needs of some children’ was the kay factor cited by 28 per cent of respondents.

Eighty-six per cent of respondents have reduced the hours or numbers of teaching assistants to make their 2017/18 budget balance. This figure was 49 per cent in 2015.

In addition, the poll found that more than a third (37 per cent) of respondents said they had to redo the number or hours of teaching staff.

Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) are expecting to have to set a deficit budget in the next financial year and 79 per cent are expecting a deficit budget for the following year 2019/20.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT said that the poll “adds further to the argument that school budgets are at absolute breaking point”.

He continued: No school is immune. primary and secondary, academy and local authority, mainstream and specialist; the entire state-funded school system is rapidly heading towards insolvency. And as this research shows, the cuts are beginning to have an impact on children and education.

“Horrifyingly, 65 per cent of respondents said they ‘strongly agreed’ that cut backs have already had a negative impact on the performance of their school. And only eight per cent of school leaders said that they did not foresee a year where they would have an untenable deficit.

“The government has tried to blame schools by suggesting that they are sitting on surpluses. Our data shows that whilst 76 per cent of schools were able to dip into reserves in 2015, this year it is only 41 per cent.

“Any rainy day money schools might have had has already been spent. The government’s only option now is to find more money for schools.”