Commenting on a new report by the The National Audit Office (NAO) on the financial health of the mainstream school system, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“The NAO is right to highlight the very significant cost pressures schools have faced in recent years. With many local services disappearing, schools have had no choice but to step in an fill the gap – but this comes at a significant cost. Underinvestment in SEND and the additional costs associated with managing Covid are now putting school budgets under even more strain.

“We need to be very careful when drawing conclusions about the apparent financial health of the schools based on budget surpluses alone. The reality is that many schools will simply not be allowed to go into a deficit budget position and will be forced to make cuts before that point is reached. With that in mind, it is very alarming that the number of maintained schools facing a budget deficit has doubled. The real question is what have schools had to cut to arrive at this point?

“NAHT’s own research shows that schools have cut back on teaching assistants and classroom resources in order to make ends meet. Our research also shows that many schools are expecting to have to make further cuts in the coming years.

“Over a decade of real-terms cuts and rising costs have put schools under enormous financial pressure. The government is not prioritising schools or young people. A far more ambitious programme of investment is required if schools are going to be able to deliver the education that the current generation of pupils need and deserve.”