A Guardian investigation has laid bare the impact of the funding crisis in England’s schools, with teachers covering for canteen staff and cleaners while parents are asked to donate money for basic supplies. Schools report having no cash for textbooks, stationery and science equipment, and say children with special educational needs are being hit hardest as deficits force cuts to support staff.
Headteachers are resorting to desperate measures to balance budgets. A secondary school in North Yorkshire is holding six non-uniform days a year to raise an extra £3,000, while schools in Essex and inner London are asking teachers to cover lunchtime supervision. In Somerset, teachers are doing cleaning duties after cleaning staff were cut. Some schools have set up Amazon wishlists and crowdfunding pages so parents can buy “luxuries” such as pencils, glue sticks and rulers.
Schools are also reducing hours and delaying essential services. In Birmingham, primary pupils are being sent home at lunchtime on Fridays, while a Kent grammar school is asking pupils to arrive late one morning. Managers in Gloucestershire are postponing heating until November, leaving teachers and students wearing coats indoors. Photocopying is strictly rationed, pastoral care and mental health support have been cut, and teachers are being asked to teach subjects outside their specialism.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “This is simply not acceptable. How on earth does the government think we can deliver a world-class education system under such conditions?” Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, said it was “particularly troubling” that children with special educational needs were often the worst off. “This government should be ashamed. It is a disgrace that in one of the richest countries in the world, schools are forced to beg for funding from parents,” she added.
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran said the investigation should “shame the Tory government”, while the Institute for Fiscal Studies said sixth form colleges have seen funding cut by 21% since 2010, with overall school funding down 8% in real terms. Diana Boyd, chair of governors at Elm Grove primary school in Brighton, said: “As a governor of long standing, I can confirm that these cuts are very real and very damaging.” The revelations come ahead of the spending review, with mounting pressure on ministers to address the crisis.
