Responding to a new survey for the Sutton Trust which found a sharp increase in school leaders reporting spending cuts, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We hear from school leaders across the country who are having to make unpalatable decisions, like cutting teaching assistants and school trips to make budgets add up.

“After more than a decade of real-terms funding cuts, the government is still failing to invest enough in children’s education, and this is hitting some of the most vulnerable children the hardest. Cuts often mean larger class sizes, less individual support for pupils and reduced subject choice. For example, in practice, fewer teaching assistants, means less support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

“We estimate that more than £12bn investment is needed next year alone to start reversing the impact of government cuts, prevent the SEND funding crisis from deepening, and start to repair and improve school buildings.”