Today sees the launch of the updated School Cuts website showing the impact of Government funding decisions on every mainstream school in England. The School Cuts website is run by education unions NEU, ASCL and NAHT, and supported by Parentkind. 

The new projections for school funding shows that assuming staff were to receive pay awards next year simply in line with 2023/24, then:  

* 92% of mainstream schools face real-terms cuts from April. Children’s education will suffer. 

* An alarming 18,484 of schools (92%), both primary and secondary, will be unable to cope with cost increases in 2024/25 without making cuts to education provision. This means 99% of secondary schools and 91% of primary schools will need to make cuts to survive. 

Despite the worst recruitment and retention crisis in a generation, with current funding, schools will only be able to afford a 1% pay rise for staff next year. 

The website can be viewed here: www.schoolcuts.org.uk 

Ahead of the Chancellor’s statement on 22 November, the School Cuts data makes clear the stark situation facing schools. In its Autumn Statement, the Government must prioritise funding for education and for a fair and fully funded pay rise for all educators next year. 

When the chancellor makes his statement, we are calling for an injection of £1.7billion into school revenue funding. 

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:  "Thirteen years of Conservative rule has been defined by sustained real-terms cuts to education. The effect is evident in every corner of schools and colleges today, and there is nothing to be gained from denying this reality. Buildings are crumbling, support services have collapsed, and teachers are having to teach subjects outside of their specialism. None of this is good for children or learning. A government which has insisted for too long on schools doing more with less, has now run out of road. This is an overwhelming case for action on school funding. We need to see substantial new investment in the coming Autumn Statement." 

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The data provided by the School Cuts website is stark and the conclusion inescapable – educational provision and standards are at risk because of the inadequacy of government funding. This government claims to value education above all else. If that is true then the Chancellor must provide the money needed to save our schools.” 

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of school leaders’ union National Association of Head Teachers, said: “At the Conservative Party Conference earlier this year, the Prime Minister said his main funding priority in every spending review would be education. The upcoming Autumn Statement is the Prime Minister’s opportunity to honour his promise to his party and to the country. We hope and expect to see him putting the country’s money where his mouth is and making education the priority for this spending review. As the re-launch of the Schools Cuts website shows, individual schools are struggling, and investment is desperately needed.” 

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of the national membership body for 13,000 Parent Teacher Associations, Parentkind, said: “During the past decade, over 100,000 parents have sacrificed precious time with their families to help raise more than £1.2 billion to contribute vital support for their children’s schools. They do this not to provide luxury items but to provide what they believe their school and its children need to succeed in their education. They provide funding for school libraries, classroom equipment, outdoor play equipment, breakfast clubs, or even winter coats for children whose families struggle to afford them. Helping to provide a PTA in every school would only be a fraction of the solution to the current school funding crisis, and we seek Government support in bridging the funding gap impacting the life chances of the nation's children.” 

Editor's Note 

The School Cuts website - established in 2016 - is run by the National Education Union, the Association of School and College Leaders and National Association of Head Teachers, and supported by ParentKind. The website shows the impact of Government funding decisions on every mainstream school in England. Parents, teachers, school support staff, governors and the general public can use School Cuts to search for their school. www.schoolcuts.org.uk has proved highly effective at highlighting the plight of schools beset by years of underfunding. 

Our terminology of ‘mainstream school’ includes all state funded schools. It does not include nursery schools, special schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision (AP), sixth form colleges, further education colleges, and hospital schools. 

Whilst this analysis is based on mainstream schools, many non-mainstream schools are facing an even tighter financial squeeze due to the nature of their staffing structure and we therefore urge Government to pay particularly close attention to their funding in 2024/25.  

Our methodology is available here: www.schoolcuts.org.uk/methodology