Commenting as Welsh Government lays out its spending plans, Laura Doel, Director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said: “The additional £117 education funding by the UK Government to Wales was as a direct result of our efforts to ensure schools get the money they deserve. NAHT Cymru continues to put protecting education at the forefront of our agenda.

“The Welsh Government has been clear that this money is for education and we seek assurances from the 22 LAs who make the decisions on the ground to ensure this money will be ringfenced to support schools as intended.

“When school leaders are considering making redundancies; when they are struggling to keep up with spiralling costs and they continue to be dealt unfunded below inflation pay awards, our elected officials locally must stand by our schools and deliver for the community who elected them.

“NAHT Cymru are calling on Chief Executives of the councils to meet with us in order to ensure that every penny of the additional funding finds its way to the front-line and direct into schools budgets, not subsumed in the middle tiers or bureaucracy.
 
“Let us be clear, £117m money from the UK Government and an additional £24m from the Welsh Government will not solve the funding crisis in schools. While it may offer some short-term relief, estimated inflationary costs pressures alone in schools over the next two years run to almost £300m.   
 
“This budget fails to address the erosion of teachers and leaders pay, fails to acknowledge the recruitment and retention crisis that plagues our schools and will do little to weaken the resolve of our members that more needs to be done to prioritise education spending when it offers the very best value for our learners.”