MORE than half of England’s schools could be facing staff redundancies as government underfunding is already affecting Bradford schools on "stretched budgets".

The largest-ever survey of school leaders has found that more than half of schools in England are looking at staff redundancies due to Government underfunding and rising costs, the headteachers’ union has warned.

In a survey which received responses from more than 11,000 school leaders in England, two-thirds (66%) of headteachers said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours.

Half (50%) of respondents said they are looking at reducing the number of teachers or teaching hours.

Carol Dewhurst, Chief Executive Officer for the Bradford Diocesan Academy Trust (BDAT) which operates 19 schools across Bradford, said: “Schools across the country are currently facing financial challenges, with the rising cost of living, increased energy prices and the government’s unfunded pay rises for staff impacting on already stretched budgets.”

National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) general secretary Paul Whiteman said educators were being hit by a “perfect storm of costs” as school leaders battled to balance budgets amid “eye-watering energy bills”, spiralling costs and underfunding.

“With no fat left to cut following a decade of austerity, thousands of schools are now looking at falling into deficit unless they make swingeing cuts. Education is truly in a perilous state,” Mr Whiteman said.

“The only things left to cut are things that will have a real immediate impact on children – and especially those who are already the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

“Schools are finding they have no option but to make redundancies. A reduction in teaching assistants and teachers will be catastrophic, leading to larger class sizes and less support for children with the greatest needs.

“Having refused to fund the proposed post-Covid recovery plan last year, this Government is effectively abandoning the most vulnerable children in society a second time by decimating the support schools can offer during a renewed time of crisis.”

Ms Dewhurst added: “As a Trust of a family of schools, we are able to work closely together to secure best value for money on goods and services and achieve financial efficiencies wherever possible.

“We will continue to do everything we can to protect the quality of education in our classrooms for all our pupils and ensure we can help our families and colleagues access any necessary support as we all navigate these difficult times together.”

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Ensuring our district’s young people get the education they need is a priority so it is concerning that spiralling costs are putting schools under financial pressure.

“Ultimately, it is schools themselves who manage their own budgets. This is a national issue and we’d urge the government to make sure schools receive the right level of funding so that young people don’t miss out.”

 

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