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| Schools ‘running on empty’ hit by deprivation funding changes | Schools ‘running on empty’ hit by deprivation funding changes |
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| The government has frequently repeated its commitment to protecting funding for schools and to improving the life chances of disadvantaged pupils. So one headteacher in a deprived part of the country was shocked, a fortnight ago, to find a £250,000 hole in her budget. | The government has frequently repeated its commitment to protecting funding for schools and to improving the life chances of disadvantaged pupils. So one headteacher in a deprived part of the country was shocked, a fortnight ago, to find a £250,000 hole in her budget. |
| After some frantic digging, Jane Gardiner (not her real name) discovered that the shortfall was the result of changes to funding tied to the English Indices of Deprivation [pdf], which plot the poorest neighbourhoods in the country. These were updated in September last year. Based on the indices, extra money is paid by local authorities to schools for the pupils who live in the poorest postcodes. This is in addition to the pupil premium, which comes from central government. | After some frantic digging, Jane Gardiner (not her real name) discovered that the shortfall was the result of changes to funding tied to the English Indices of Deprivation [pdf], which plot the poorest neighbourhoods in the country. These were updated in September last year. Based on the indices, extra money is paid by local authorities to schools for the pupils who live in the poorest postcodes. This is in addition to the pupil premium, which comes from central government. |
| “My pupils had not all moved to leafy areas, but some of them were now regarded as less deprived than before, I can’t think why,” she says. | “My pupils had not all moved to leafy areas, but some of them were now regarded as less deprived than before, I can’t think why,” she says. |
| The change, says Gardiner, means that, although her urban school in south-west England continues to serve one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, fewer pupils are now eligible for the highest bands of deprivation money. | The change, says Gardiner, means that, although her urban school in south-west England continues to serve one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, fewer pupils are now eligible for the highest bands of deprivation money. |
| A quarter of a million pounds is not a shortfall that can be patched. Her budget pressures now mean 12 members of staff will have to go. Half are jobs that will not be advertised when people leave, including two assistant headships; the other half will be redundancies including a teacher, reading assistants for primary children, a family link worker, an education welfare officer and a full-time counsellor whom Gardiner employed to support the mental health of vulnerable pupils. All must be gone by the end of the summer term. | A quarter of a million pounds is not a shortfall that can be patched. Her budget pressures now mean 12 members of staff will have to go. Half are jobs that will not be advertised when people leave, including two assistant headships; the other half will be redundancies including a teacher, reading assistants for primary children, a family link worker, an education welfare officer and a full-time counsellor whom Gardiner employed to support the mental health of vulnerable pupils. All must be gone by the end of the summer term. |
| “It feels horrible,” Gardiner says. “Some of my kids have serious mental health issues. Some families really struggle to engage and get their children into school – they don’t understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality – and these staff are on to them, phoning them in the morning. Our capacity to support those pupils will be reduced.” | “It feels horrible,” Gardiner says. “Some of my kids have serious mental health issues. Some families really struggle to engage and get their children into school – they don’t understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality – and these staff are on to them, phoning them in the morning. Our capacity to support those pupils will be reduced.” |
| Gardiner is not the only headteacher to be grappling with unforeseen cuts to her deprivation funding: at another school nearby, the percentage of pupils eligible for the two highest bands of postcode-linked money has dropped by 16%. Another school in the same area has lost £77,000. | Gardiner is not the only headteacher to be grappling with unforeseen cuts to her deprivation funding: at another school nearby, the percentage of pupils eligible for the two highest bands of postcode-linked money has dropped by 16%. Another school in the same area has lost £77,000. |
| The surprise funding gap in Gardiner’s area comes as many schools are already staring at budget deficits of hundreds of thousands of pounds, with nowhere left to go but cutting staff. A 1% teacher pay rise, an increase in employer-paid pension contributions and higher national insurance rates for employers – all unfunded – means, says Peter Woodman, chair of the West Sussex Secondary Headteachers Association, that from 2016-17, every teaching post will cost him an additional 5% a year. | The surprise funding gap in Gardiner’s area comes as many schools are already staring at budget deficits of hundreds of thousands of pounds, with nowhere left to go but cutting staff. A 1% teacher pay rise, an increase in employer-paid pension contributions and higher national insurance rates for employers – all unfunded – means, says Peter Woodman, chair of the West Sussex Secondary Headteachers Association, that from 2016-17, every teaching post will cost him an additional 5% a year. |
| “I’d say that half to two-thirds of my secondary colleagues can’t balance their budgets or are on the point of not being able to, hence they are making redundancies,” he says. Woodman’s school, rated outstanding, is £100,000 in the red for next year. There are three ways, he says, to manage a staff bill that has gone up £70,000 from 2016-17 onwards. “Classes get bigger – one local school is running its top maths set with 37 pupils – or teachers teach more, or you lose people.” Woodman has had to reduce his senior team by two posts, despite having 200 more pupils. | “I’d say that half to two-thirds of my secondary colleagues can’t balance their budgets or are on the point of not being able to, hence they are making redundancies,” he says. Woodman’s school, rated outstanding, is £100,000 in the red for next year. There are three ways, he says, to manage a staff bill that has gone up £70,000 from 2016-17 onwards. “Classes get bigger – one local school is running its top maths set with 37 pupils – or teachers teach more, or you lose people.” Woodman has had to reduce his senior team by two posts, despite having 200 more pupils. |
| I am furious that I am pushed far into a corner that I have almost no options left. It’s now cutting into the heart | I am furious that I am pushed far into a corner that I have almost no options left. It’s now cutting into the heart |
| At St Martin’s primary school in a small village near Newbury, Berkshire, headteacher Peter Shelton says that, having already slashed training, resources and all non-essential and lower priority items, there is no more left to cut. His “carry forward” from previous years is only a few hundred pounds, rather than, as used to be the case, a few thousand. | At St Martin’s primary school in a small village near Newbury, Berkshire, headteacher Peter Shelton says that, having already slashed training, resources and all non-essential and lower priority items, there is no more left to cut. His “carry forward” from previous years is only a few hundred pounds, rather than, as used to be the case, a few thousand. |
| Primary schools, which have limits on class sizes, cannot lose classroom teachers, but Shelton is unable to afford to recruit two teaching assistants for his Year 4/5 and Year 5/6 pupils. | Primary schools, which have limits on class sizes, cannot lose classroom teachers, but Shelton is unable to afford to recruit two teaching assistants for his Year 4/5 and Year 5/6 pupils. |
| He spells out what this means: “We will be able to run fewer support groups, provide less group reading and one-to-one reading, provide less targeted in-class and general support, and have less flexibility in arrangements and support across the wider school.” | He spells out what this means: “We will be able to run fewer support groups, provide less group reading and one-to-one reading, provide less targeted in-class and general support, and have less flexibility in arrangements and support across the wider school.” |
| “It is simply the case that for the first time in my 20 years as a headteacher, the squeeze on budgets is having a direct negative impact on children’s learning.” | “It is simply the case that for the first time in my 20 years as a headteacher, the squeeze on budgets is having a direct negative impact on children’s learning.” |
| And with schools embroiled in a recruitment crisis, headteachers in deprived areas, who know their pupils need the best teachers available, can no longer afford to pay the salaries that might attract those teachers. | And with schools embroiled in a recruitment crisis, headteachers in deprived areas, who know their pupils need the best teachers available, can no longer afford to pay the salaries that might attract those teachers. |
| The headteacher of one 11-18 local authority secondary school in the south of England that has a high special educational needs and pupil premium intake, together with lower than average key stage 2 point scores on entry, says funding cuts have meant two rounds of redundancies in teaching staff, support staff and the leadership team. “It puts a huge dent in morale,” he says. “It knocks the stuffing out of people, and they fear for their future, and they start looking elsewhere.” | The headteacher of one 11-18 local authority secondary school in the south of England that has a high special educational needs and pupil premium intake, together with lower than average key stage 2 point scores on entry, says funding cuts have meant two rounds of redundancies in teaching staff, support staff and the leadership team. “It puts a huge dent in morale,” he says. “It knocks the stuffing out of people, and they fear for their future, and they start looking elsewhere.” |
| Like many headteachers, he asked not to be named. They worry about the reputations of their schools: if parents were to hear about bigger class sizes and job cuts, it could put their school’s future at risk. | Like many headteachers, he asked not to be named. They worry about the reputations of their schools: if parents were to hear about bigger class sizes and job cuts, it could put their school’s future at risk. |
| Heads can see only rocks and hard places ahead – it is hard to justify offering higher salaries for subjects that are difficult to recruit for when other staff are losing their jobs. As this head says: “Schools that are most challenged are being the most clobbered: those with challenging intakes have to pay more, but they’re getting less money. At the same time, the expectation from Ofsted is that all students should reach a standard level of attainment, so we are asked to do more, with less, in more difficult circumstances. It’s not surprising that we’re struggling.” | Heads can see only rocks and hard places ahead – it is hard to justify offering higher salaries for subjects that are difficult to recruit for when other staff are losing their jobs. As this head says: “Schools that are most challenged are being the most clobbered: those with challenging intakes have to pay more, but they’re getting less money. At the same time, the expectation from Ofsted is that all students should reach a standard level of attainment, so we are asked to do more, with less, in more difficult circumstances. It’s not surprising that we’re struggling.” |
| A survey in January of nearly 900 mainly secondary headteachers and senior leaders by the Association of School and College Leaders confirms that more than 38% of respondents made redundancies in the previous 12 months, with even more staff losses hidden by the under-the-radar non-replacement of teaching (70%) and support roles (80%). | A survey in January of nearly 900 mainly secondary headteachers and senior leaders by the Association of School and College Leaders confirms that more than 38% of respondents made redundancies in the previous 12 months, with even more staff losses hidden by the under-the-radar non-replacement of teaching (70%) and support roles (80%). |
| More than a third of respondents believed their school’s financial situation would become critical or very serious within the year, with less than 2% saying that their situation was fine. Half said they would need to make more redundancies; three-quarters expected class sizes to increase. If this could be managed without pupils suffering, it would be of less concern, but 77% of those surveyed said financial pressures had a detrimental effect on education provision. | More than a third of respondents believed their school’s financial situation would become critical or very serious within the year, with less than 2% saying that their situation was fine. Half said they would need to make more redundancies; three-quarters expected class sizes to increase. If this could be managed without pupils suffering, it would be of less concern, but 77% of those surveyed said financial pressures had a detrimental effect on education provision. |
| The head of an “outstanding” London primary says he can longer afford to train teachers through Schools Direct because bursaries have been cut from £17,600 to £11,000. “The government talks about having the best teachers in front of children and the only way to do that is to have an oversupply,” he says. “We can’t lose teachers here because we don’t have any spare capacity. We don’t have much pupil premium and so not a lot of teaching assistants, so we can’t save there either. If you’ve got a very small amount of money after staffing and utilities, what’s going to go?” | The head of an “outstanding” London primary says he can longer afford to train teachers through Schools Direct because bursaries have been cut from £17,600 to £11,000. “The government talks about having the best teachers in front of children and the only way to do that is to have an oversupply,” he says. “We can’t lose teachers here because we don’t have any spare capacity. We don’t have much pupil premium and so not a lot of teaching assistants, so we can’t save there either. If you’ve got a very small amount of money after staffing and utilities, what’s going to go?” |
| Children who thrive with a little bit of focused attention in smaller classes will be hit hardest as schools’ budgets are decimated, says another head in West Sussex facing a £341,000 budget deficit – he has to run all classes with at least 30 pupils. “We’re running on empty,” he says. In a county that sits near the bottom for per-pupil funding, it is also unfair on children, he says. The fairer funding announced by the government will be heavily tapered, so the fairness will come in only slowly, he says. | Children who thrive with a little bit of focused attention in smaller classes will be hit hardest as schools’ budgets are decimated, says another head in West Sussex facing a £341,000 budget deficit – he has to run all classes with at least 30 pupils. “We’re running on empty,” he says. In a county that sits near the bottom for per-pupil funding, it is also unfair on children, he says. The fairer funding announced by the government will be heavily tapered, so the fairness will come in only slowly, he says. |
| This head got his deficit down to £200,000 by deciding not to re-recruit for two senior leadership posts: nevertheless, he has just had to announce four teacher and four support staff redundancies, as well having to do without two language assistants. | This head got his deficit down to £200,000 by deciding not to re-recruit for two senior leadership posts: nevertheless, he has just had to announce four teacher and four support staff redundancies, as well having to do without two language assistants. |
| And the subjects on offer will drop. There will be no economics, no German, no dance, no textiles and no food science from now on. “I feel absolutely angry to the core of my being that children who deserve to be properly educated and have their needs met are not having their needs met – and that’s across the academic and social needs range,” he says. “I am incandescent that I cannot offer German classes for those who would like it. I am furious that I am pushed far into a corner that I have almost no options left. It’s now cutting into the heart, and that’s wrong.” | And the subjects on offer will drop. There will be no economics, no German, no dance, no textiles and no food science from now on. “I feel absolutely angry to the core of my being that children who deserve to be properly educated and have their needs met are not having their needs met – and that’s across the academic and social needs range,” he says. “I am incandescent that I cannot offer German classes for those who would like it. I am furious that I am pushed far into a corner that I have almost no options left. It’s now cutting into the heart, and that’s wrong.” |
| A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “We have delivered on our manifesto commitment to protect the schools budget and as pupil numbers increase, so will the amount of money in our schools. At the same time, we will make funding fairer by introducing a new national funding formula so that areas with the highest need attract the most funding.” | A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “We have delivered on our manifesto commitment to protect the schools budget and as pupil numbers increase, so will the amount of money in our schools. At the same time, we will make funding fairer by introducing a new national funding formula so that areas with the highest need attract the most funding.” |
| Gardiner now has a meeting with her human resources consultant about how to break the news of job losses to her staff. She knows her most vulnerable pupils will suffer. “I have parents of one young girl who think it’s OK to take her off school for the day to babysit her younger brother,” she says bleakly. “Redundancies mean in future we’ll have no one to pick up those cases.” | Gardiner now has a meeting with her human resources consultant about how to break the news of job losses to her staff. She knows her most vulnerable pupils will suffer. “I have parents of one young girl who think it’s OK to take her off school for the day to babysit her younger brother,” she says bleakly. “Redundancies mean in future we’ll have no one to pick up those cases.” |