Schools forced to make cuts this autumn due to budget shortfalls caused by rising costs will “need to explain to parents what impact this will have”, a heads’ leader has warned.
Headteachers have been writing to parents this week outlining the impact that soaring bills for energy and unfunded teacher pay increases have had on their budgets, and how this will impact the provision they can offer this year.
And Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said it was “unsurprising” that schools were writing to parents about the situation and that it was “sensible” for leaders to be discussing cuts they were having to make openly.
In one letter sent to parents and carers of children at Passmores Cooperative Learning Community in Essex, trust CEO Vic Goddard said it was “exceedingly difficult” to make sure no child missed any educational opportunity but that the trust was doing everything in its power to do so.
The letter outlined that the trust was reviewing the subjects offered at key stage 4, not replacing books or equipment unless essential and not replacing staff who leave unless it is “crucial” - for example, if the cut would create an “unsafe” environment.
The funding crisis is forcing schools to make cuts
And it added: “We hope that our new prime minister responds to the need to increase funding of schools across the country as the young people have had a difficult few years and we should be investing more and not less in their futures.”
Other school leaders said they had written to parents, or planned to do so in the coming days.
In a letter sent out to families this week, Donna Tandy, CEO of Palladian Academy Trust, with schools in Somerset and Wiltshire, said unexpected extra costs meant schools were “looking closely” at where savings could be made and what impact this would have on pupils.
“Due to strong financial planning and investment that the trust has made in the past, at the moment we are not making any colleagues redundant or shrinking the educational offer to our pupils but we do have to think pragmatically about the effect of these additional costs,” she added.
“If you are inclined to do so, please do write to your local MP about the impact on your children.”
Caroline Derbyshire, chair of the Headteachers’ Roundtable and CEO of Saffron Academy Trust, said she had written to parents to outline cuts and was urging other heads to do the same.
Writing on social media last week, she said: “The responsible thing for us all to do in the next week is to write to our communities (our parents, our MPs, our LAs and local papers) and to share with them the additional salary and utility costs our schools face. We must do this.”
Dan Morrow, CEO of Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust, said the trust planned to send a letter outlining funding issues later this week.
Mr Whiteman said: “Given the scale of the financial challenges schools are currently facing and the impact they could have, it is unsurprising that some heads are writing to parents to explain how they are dealing with the situation.
“Almost overnight, some schools have found they are now looking at six-figure budget shortfalls and there is no escaping the fact that this will have an impact on education. If school leaders are forced into making cuts through no fault of their own, then they will need to explain to parents what impact this will have. The reality is that parents will see the impact for themselves and so it is quite sensible for leaders to be discussing this sensitively but openly.
“Of course, school leaders will also be explaining how they will be doing everything in their power to mitigate the impact of such cuts, but we cannot expect them to be financial miracle workers. What we need to see is urgent financial support for schools to help them cope with the extreme financial pressures they find themselves under.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the financial situation facing many schools was “catastrophic”.
“We are not at all surprised if headteachers are alerting parents to the situation and the very difficult decisions they will have to make unless there is additional financial assistance from the government,” he added.
“We are conscious of reports that Liz Truss is intending to announce a support package to deal with energy costs. We await the details of what this will be but it is obviously imperative that any such package includes help for schools and colleges.”
The new prime minister has pledged to “deliver on the energy crisis” this week, though exact details of how this will work, and whether any support will provide help to schools remains unclear.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are aware of the inflationary pressures facing schools and know that rising costs will impact schools differently.
“To support schools, we are increasing core funding by £4 billion this year alone and are also providing schools with tools to help them get the best value for money from their resources, including recommended deals for energy costs and services related to energy.”
