School budget cuts 'to hit pupils'

By Hannah Richardson
At the ASCL conference in London

Head teachers fear results will be affected

Tighter school budgets will lead to bigger class sizes and fewer exam choices, warn head teachers in England.

Budget cuts will make axing front-line activities unavoidable, the Association of School and College Leaders will say at its annual conference in London.

Ministers have pledged an average funding increase of 0.7% for schools, but there will also be efficiency savings.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls says schools will have the funds they need.

ASCL president John Morgan said real-term cuts would not only mean larger class sizes and fewer classroom resources, but would hamper the government's aim of boosting results, especially for deprived pupils.

Bigger classes

He will warn, in an address at the association's conference this weekend, that there is no room for efficiency savings in school budgets without pupils' education being hit.

"These are cuts to frontline activities that will inevitably have a direct impact on the secretary of state's own priorities of raising standards and breaking the link between deprivation and low attainment," the head of Conyers School near Stockton-on-Tees will say.

"Schools and colleges will make efficiency savings where they can, but everyone must play their part.

"If schools and colleges are to deliver all that is expected of them over the next three-year spending round, the government must preserve a real-terms increase in education funding," he will add.

This is a tougher settlement for schools than they have been used to in the last decade Schools Secretary Ed Balls

The government has pledged a 0.7% average funding increase for schools in 2011/12 and 2012/13, along with a 0.9% budget rise for teaching people aged between 16 and 19.

A poll by ASCL of its members in England on what a hypotheticial 2% real-terms funding cut would mean suggested pupils' education would suffer.

Of the initial 200 responses, nearly two-thirds (63%) said increased class sizes would be the most likely impact.

Nearly half (47%) said they would reduce budgets for teaching resources, delay buying new IT equipment and cut the number of subject options for 14-19 year olds.

Meanwhile members in sixth-form colleges report that cuts are already being made in their funding for 2010/11, ASCL says.

Savings of 3% are being required of all publicly-funded adult learning courses, many of which are provided by further education colleges.

'Efficiency savings'

Education Secretary Ed Balls said: "Head teachers are right to say that a two per cent cut in schools funding would mean fewer teachers and teaching assistants and larger class sizes.

"That's why the Pre-Budget Report announced that, while making tough savings at the centre, funding going direct to schools will rise in real terms for the next three years.

"This is a tougher settlement for schools than they have been used to in the last decade, but the combination of rising funding and tougher expectations on efficiencies means schools will have the resources they need to meet the frontline cost pressures they face."

In September, Mr Balls said education spending could be cut by £2bn by axing senior staff and "discipline" over pay.

He will address the head teachers in a speech at their conference later on Friday.