Since 2015/16 school funding has been under a lot of pressure. According to the DfE per pupil funding in real terms is 5.3% lower than it was two years ago, or £2 billion. There are two factors driving this, a rapid increase in pupil numbers and an increase in school costs. So whilst the Government’s mantra that schools are receiving more money than ever before is true, it is also true that per pupil spending in real terms has fallen. It is per pupil funding that determines class size, the range of subjects on offer and the level of individual attention a child will receive. Following the significant parental concern expressed at the last General Election, the Government have put back £1.3 billion over the next two years. However, that is only enough to stabilise the situation. The picture is complicated by the introduction of the National Funding Formula that begins in April 2018. There is no uniform national picture. The Government plans is for beneficiaries of the NFF to receive up to 3% more funding in April, so they will be able to keep up with inflation, whereas unlucky schools will receive only 0.5% well below inflation. But the sad fact is that nine out of ten will have lower per pupil funding in real terms in 2019/20 than they did in 2015/16. The average primary school has lost £45,000 and the average secondary school £185,000. Even if we were to write off the last two years of cuts, 55% of schools will see a fall in funding over the next two years. The impact of these cuts on education is very clear. The Association of School and College Leaders (the Secondary Heads Association as was) surveyed their members last year and found that 72% reported that they had cut GCSE courses. And those cuts disproportionally fell on creative subjects: 44% said they had cut design and technology subjects, 18% music, 26% other performing arts, 16% art and design courses. The impact of funding cuts has been felt hardest in the secondary sector because of the deep cuts to sixth form funding, so we can now measure the impact on staffing. The average secondary school has 5.5 fewer staff than two
Since 2015/16 school funding has been under a lot of pressure. According to the DfE per pupil funding in real terms is 5.3% lower than it was two years ago, or £2 billion. There are two factors driving this, a rapid increase in pupil numbers and an increase in school costs. So whilst the Government’s mantra that schools are receiving more money than ever before is true, it is also true that per pupil spending in real terms has fallen. It is per pupil funding that determines class size, the range of subjects on offer and the level of individual attention a child will receive. Following the significant parental concern expressed at the last General Election, the Government have put back £1.3 billion over the next two years. However, that is only enough to stabilise the situation. The picture is complicated by the introduction of the National Funding Formula that begins in April 2018. There is no uniform national picture. The Government plans is for beneficiaries of the NFF to receive up to 3% more funding in April, so they will be able to keep up with inflation, whereas unlucky schools will receive only 0.5% well below inflation. But the sad fact is that nine out of ten will have lower per pupil funding in real terms in 2019/20 than they did in 2015/16. The average primary school has lost £45,000 and the average secondary school £185,000. Even if we were to write off the last two years of cuts, 55% of schools will see a fall in funding over the next two years. The impact of these cuts on education is very clear. The Association of School and College Leaders (the Secondary Heads Association as was) surveyed their members last year and found that 72% reported that they had cut GCSE courses. And those cuts disproportionally fell on creative subjects: 44% said they had cut design and technology subjects, 18% music, 26% other performing arts, 16% art and design courses. The impact of funding cuts has been felt hardest in the secondary sector because of the deep cuts to sixth form funding, so we can now measure the impact on staffing. The average secondary school has 5.5 fewer staff than two
APPG_Effect_of_school_funding_on_arts_education_Andrew_Baisley.docx