“Austerity” has definitely not come to an end. Photo kzenon/shutterstock.com
The truth behind the government’s “end of austerity” rhetoric will out. In spite of announcing additional resources for public services, including education, new research suggests that sufficient resources have not been allocated.
Analysis by the School Cuts coalition of unions calculates that more than 80 per cent of state schools in England will have less funding per pupil in real terms in 2020 than in 2015.
Ministers announced plans last month to invest an extra £7.1 billion in schools over the next three years, but the coalition says there will still be a shortfall of £2.5 billion next year.
Their report adds: “School costs are estimated [to rise] at 2.9 per cent for next year, significantly higher than the minimum funding increase of 1.84 per cent, so roughly a third of schools will have to make further cuts.”
‘Unsurprising’
Luke Sibieta of the Institute of Fiscal Studies commented: “The government has committed to extra funding of £4.3 billion per year in today’s prices, which will be enough to reverse cuts on average. However, that won’t fully come in until 2022. It’s therefore unsurprising to see analysis showing that most schools will have lower budgets in real-terms.”
• Chancellor Sajid Javid’s pledge to invest £500 million into youth services is actually £380 million less than has been cut since the Conservatives came to power, according to analysis of figures published by the Department for Education, the Daily Mirror reports. In real terms £880 million have been cut from youth services in England since 2010. Half of councils have been pushed to cut spending per young person by over 75 per cent.