[ad_1]
Spending on education per pupil in England suffered an unprecedented 14-year freeze from Conservatives came to power, according to Britain’s leading economic think tank.
Funding per pupil is now at 2010 levels in real terms Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its latest analysis of school spending, while teacher pay is about the same real level as it was in 2001.
Investment in England’s aging school buildings, many of which have been hit by the Raac – or crumbling concrete – crisis is 25% lower in real terms than it was in the mid-2000s, the IFS analysis said.
The reportdesigned to inform the debate in the run-up to the general election, also notes that the government has allocated 40% less than its own estimate of how much is needed to ensure school buildings are kept in good condition.
Paul Wightman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “This research shows in the starkest way possible how schools have been isolated for years when it comes to national priorities.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is a shame that there has been no rise in funding per pupil for 14 years, while at the same time schools are struggling with rapidly increasing responsibilities. and costs.”
Between 2010, when the Conservatives came to power in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, and 2019, total school spending in England rose by 1% in real terms, the IFS said, but as pupil numbers rose by 11% during that period, per-pupil school spending actually fell by 9%.
Since 2019, there has been a £6 billion (11%) increase in real terms in total spending, bringing funding per pupil back to 2010 levels. Under Labor governments from 1997 to 2010, the IFS said spending on per student have increased by an average of 5%-6% per year in real terms.
The IFS also highlighted that a key driver of recent spending was the 60% increase since 2015 in pupils with the highest levels of assessed special educational needs, which accounted for almost half of the £7.6bn increase in spending for school since 2015.
Looking ahead to the next parliament, the IFS said the incoming government could see the expected 5% fall in pupil numbers as an opportunity for savings, but warned it would almost certainly lead to school closures and job cuts.
Luke Sibietta, IFS research fellow and author of the report, said: “Under current plans, many other areas of public service spending look set to face cuts under either a Conservative or Labor government.
“Thus a future government may be tempted to cut spending on schools in response to falling pupil numbers.” Realizing such savings may be easier said than done, as it will likely require workforce reductions and perhaps school closures.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “This report describes the damage done by 14 years of a failed government that has shown a complete lack of concern for the impact their policies have had on the English education system.
“The scale of this challenge to ensure that children and young people get the education they deserve is huge. Any adhesive plaster solutions will not work. Education should be a top priority in this election.”
A Conservative spokesman said: “Education is the closest thing to a silver bullet there is, with the power to transform the lives of every child across the country.
“That’s why we are increasing school funding to the highest level in real per pupil terms and providing 60,000 more special educational needs school places, in addition to employing over 27,000 extra teachers since 2010.”
[ad_2]
