The majority of headteachers expect their school’s finances and their ability to recruit teachers to get worse, a new survey reveals.
In a poll of school leaders, three-quarters predicted that their school’s financial position will decline over the next two years.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the findings reflected the “incredible gloom” among school leaders over the funding situation.
Of the 390 people questioned, almost half (46 per cent) predicted that their school’s finances would decline a lot and another 29 per cent predicted they would decline a little.
The survey’s findings are similarly bleak on teacher recruitment, with 55 per cent of schools leaders expecting to find it more difficult to get the right staff in future.
The survey of school leaders was carried out by the Academies Show in February and March this year. Answers were provided by the registrants to the Academies Show London, which takes place tomorrow and for which Tes is a media partner.
The finding comes after a Tes investigation revealed that the school system needs to find 47,000 teachers by 2024 to cope with a surge in the number of secondary school pupils.
‘The ire of parents can change this debate’
Mr Barton said: “When I speak to headteachers, I find that dealing with the real-terms budget cut is taking over the job. They tell me that they cannot do what they came into leadership to do, which is to focus on teaching and learning because of the funding crisis schools are facing.
“We are reaching the point where it is no longer just a question of school funding - but one of entitlement. What do we expect a child in a state school to be able to receive? Budget cuts will be narrowing what is available. A levels in music, dance and drama could be lost.”
Mr Barton said the education sector needed to engage with parents so they understood the scale of the problem.
He added: “I think when parents start to realise this they will say that it is unthinkable that a school is having to close a wing of the building for health and safety reasons or that creative subjects are now only the preserve of the independent sector because maintained schools cannot afford to run them. I think it is the ire of parents that can change this debate.”
Mr Barton said the concerns over teacher recruitment were heightened because of the need to find 47,000 more teachers by 2024.
He said a debate was needed about getting more money from the Treasury, reducing teacher workload and using artificial intelligence in schools to support teachers.
Despite the survey’s negative findings on teacher recruitment and finance, it showed that the majority of school leaders were still confident about their ability to deliver for pupils.
Of those questioned, 57 per cent believed the quality of teaching at their school would improve, with 12 per cent expecting it to improve significantly in the next two years.
Most heads also predicted that education standards at their school will improve. Almost two-thirds of those polled (63 per cent) said they expected achievement to improve.
Mark Gill, director of the Academies Show, said: “The challenges and concerns revealed in this research will be directly addressed in this year’s free-to-attend Academies Show London.
“We have curated more than 40 hours of content and brought together over 200 education suppliers to give school leaders a vital opportunity to come together to help each other find the right solutions for their school.
“We encourage leaders from all types of schools to come to the show to share their experiences and learn from their colleagues, so that the whole sector can work together to address financing, recruitment and other top issues.”
