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School funding crisis is driving up class sizes, teachers warn

School funding and finance Trade unions
Up to 70 per cent of secondary schools have been forced to reduce class sizes, while 60 per cent have cut the number of subjects offered, according to a new research report.

The study, carried out jointly by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), found that more than nine out of 10 respondents were pessimistic about school finances over the coming three years.

The survey of 1,200 heads, teachers and support staff, revealed that three-quarters of school staff said their budgets this year were lower than last.

Just over seven out of 10 secondary staff admitted their school had already cut teaching posts, though many of these were lost through natural wastage rather than redundancy. Four out of 10 said provision had been cut for children with SEN and disabilities, and many school were cutting non-EBacc subjects from the timetable.

One teacher told researchers that she felt like she was delivering lectures rather than lessons, with 64 students in a class. She said she did not have time to help them all and believed some were now doing badly. The study itself found that 50 per cent said their school has bigger class sizes than last year, rising to 70 per cent of secondary respondents.

Overall 16 per cent of the secondary respondents said their school had asked parents to contribute to the school funds, with some saying this amounted to as much as £20 a month. Other ways to raise money included hiring out school buildings or grounds, while 68 per cent said there were now adverts on school premises. Some schools were also asking parents to pay for classroom resources to help their child’s learning.

Other findings in the research include:

  • Ninety-three per cent of respondents were pessimistic about their school’s funding over the coming three years.
  • Sixty per cent of secondary staff (excluding don’t knows) said their school has cut the range of non-EBacc subjects and 64 per cent said there are fewer vocational options.
  • A quarter (24 per cent) of secondary staff said their school has cut teaching hours for courses.
  • Seventy three per cent said their school has cut spending on books and equipment; 46 per cent said ICT spending had been cut.
  • Eighteen per cent said their school has cut support for English as an additional language (EAL).

Dr Mary Bousted, ATL’s general secretary, said: “The government needs to sit up and listen. Schools are already struggling to make ends meet and children are already losing out. But government underfunding means this will get much worse, since in two years’ time schools will have to make savings of more than £3 billion a year.

“Unless the government finds more money for schools and fast, today’s school children will have severely limited choices at school.” She added that the poorest children would be worst hit as their parents wouldn’t be able to afford to contribute what schools were asking.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the government had protected core budgets and was providing support to schools to help them “use their funding in cost-effective ways and make efficiencies”.