“Doing nothing” to address schools’ soaring energy bills and the impact of unfunded teacher pay rises is “not an option”, the new education secretary, Kit Malthouse, has been warned.
Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), has written an open letter to Mr Malthouse after he was last night appointed by new prime minister Liz Truss as the fifth education secretary in the space of 12 months.
She warned that schools were facing an exponential rise in energy costs, with no price cap in place for them, and unfunded teacher pay rises.
Ms Cruddas said that some academy trusts were facing energy bill increases of 500 per cent and she also highlighted how 90 per cent of CST members had said that the teacher pay rises announced at the end of the last academic year were not affordable on existing budgets.
The Department for Education announced last month that experienced teachers would receive a 5 per cent pay rise - higher than the 3 per cent that had initially been proposed - and with no extra funding for schools to cover it.
In her open letter to Mr Malthouse, Ms Cruddas said: “The rising energy costs and cost-of-living crisis also mean that we will see more families in absolute poverty during the winter months when they will not be able to give children a hot meal or keep homes warm.
“Doing nothing is not an option. The government must ensure pay awards are funded, energy grants are provided, and wider inflationary pressures are mitigated.
“Specific, costed, credible policy proposals must be found to support the public sector and families, and we must ensure our duty of care to children is not undermined by a budget that is not fit for purpose.”
New education secretary Kit Malthouse urged to tackle school funding
The Association of School and College Leaders’ (ASCL) general secretary, Geoff Barton, welcomed Mr Malthouse to his post but warned that schools need urgent financial support.
“The critical and urgent issue that he must address is the dire funding situation facing schools and colleges, as a result of soaring energy bills and pay awards for which there is no additional government funding,” he said.
“This situation will result in cuts to educational provision unless the government provides urgent financial assistance.”
Mr Barton said that the ASCL hoped that Ms Truss’ anticipated announcement on energy prices will include support for schools and colleges. But he warned that “this will not solve the education funding crisis on its own and more support will be needed”.
He also highlighted the “severe and widespread shortage of teachers”.
“The new education secretary has to work with the education sector to improve not only graduate recruitment but the retention of staff,” Mr Barton added.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, called for emergency funding for schools from the new education secretary.
“We welcome Kit Malthouse to the role of education secretary. He is starting his role at a critical time. School costs have sky-rocketed and staff morale has plummeted. The disadvantage [attainment] gap is at a 10-year high, whilst recruitment to teacher training falls towards a 10-year low,” he said.
“To put education back on an even keel will require sharp elbows in securing emergency funding from Treasury. But it will also require a willingness to listen to and work with the teaching profession, to achieve our shared goal of improving life chances for all. Right now, the stakes could not be higher.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, highlighted how Mr Malthouse is the ninth education secretary to be appointed since 2014.
“Children and young people are paying the price for this constant upheaval and the lack of grip and understanding on the many issues facing the education service,” he said.
“These include the chronic underfunding of our schools and the immediate issue of how schools will weather the cost-of-living crisis and pay their gas and electricity bills; teacher pay; workload; teacher recruitment and retention; and rising levels of child poverty.
“The education secretary cannot ignore the problems.”
