Schools face a shortage of funding and teachers, and they are struggling to cope with the impact of rising child poverty, headteachers’ leaders have warned the three main political parties.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has written to the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats warning them that the education system is under “severe strain” and calling for a better deal for the sector.
He stressed that the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, in particular, needs “urgent attention” as funding is currently unable to meet needs, resulting in delays to assessment and provision of support.
‘Close to madness’
He also strongly criticised the government’s Safety Valve deals with cash-strapped councils.
“The fact that huge amounts of public money are currently being spent on managing high-needs deficits via Safety Valve Agreements rather than on meeting the needs of children is a situation that is close to madness,” Mr Di’Iasio wrote in the letter.
He called for the parties to support ASCL’s calls to draw a line under council high-needs deficits as an immediate step to allow more funding to be spent on pupils’ needs.
Concerns have been raised that Safety Valve plans really mean a cut in SEND support because of a need to bring down spending.
Under the agreements, councils receive funding from the Department for Education to reduce their high-needs deficits if they reform their SEND provision.
ASCL also raised concerns about plans for future education spending. The letter says: “It is not only the current financial situation in schools and colleges that is extremely worrying, but also the fact that the projected public spending plans for the next Parliament are unrealistic and will leave public services once again facing an age of austerity.
“We ask you to set out in clear terms that your party will do everything possible to avoid this from happening and that if you are in government you will revisit these plans at the earliest opportunity.”
Painful choices for next government
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that the next government will face painful choices for school spending.
Freezing per-pupil spending could generate savings, but researchers warned that the cost pressures on schools would leave this resulting in schools having to cut staff or close.
The NAHT school leaders’ union and the NEU teaching union have also been calling on the next government to increase funding to schools.
ASCL is also asking for parties to commit to investing in support services for children and families so schools are not left with all the responsibility.
Other asks include tackling the teacher recruitment and retention shortages, fixing school buildings, getting rid of single-word Ofsted judgements and changing the GCSE retake system.
Liberal Democrats education spokesperson Munira Wilson said the Conservative government has consistently “neglected schools and colleges”.
She said: “We have a whole range of commitments in our manifesto including a commitment to putting a dedicated, qualified mental health professional in every school, extending free school meals to all children in poverty as well as increasing school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year and tackling the scandal of crumbling schools.”
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