The NGA has just published its latest (14th) School and Trust Annual Governance Survey. Highlight findings include: Funding Financial sustainability under threat Budget pressures intensify Falling pupil numbers Curriculum breadth at risk SEND funding crisis deepens Pupil, family and community needs SEND support demands surge Attendance is high priority Expanding school services Safeguarding issues growing … Continue reading NGA School and Trust Annual Governance Survey 2024
Tag: Funding
Issues for schools requiring RAAC buildings works
An atrticle from Schools Week highlights the continuing issues for schools in respect of keeping their buildings up to scratch. It highighhts the fact that some schools have had requests turned down by Ministers, and that the system is very unbalanced. You can read the article on their website, here.
Free breakfast clubs in schools
An article by the Institute for Fiscal Studies looks at the issue of school breakfast clubs and analyses Labour's promise to expand provision to all primary schools. Some of their conclusions are: breakfast clubs can be a cheap way to provide nutritional support to children; breakfast clubs have been shown to boost grades; breakfast clubs … Continue reading Free breakfast clubs in schools
The private schools debate is asking all the wrong questions
The Guardian's Eva Wiseman column observes that Private schools don’t put children first, they put everyone else last She goes on to argue that the key issue around this debate - which isn;t being mentioned - is that the children at state schools are suffering. She concludes by saying "I’m starting to feel ... increasingly … Continue reading The private schools debate is asking all the wrong questions
School spending in England: a guide to the debate during the 2024 general election
This new report by Luke Sibieta from The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) seeks to inform the debate on school funding during the 2024 general election by analysing past trends and likely future pressures. Key findings inlcude: Spending on English schools fell by c. 9% in real terms between 2010 and 2019, but increased spending … Continue reading School spending in England: a guide to the debate during the 2024 general election
CIF funding – is the allocation fair?
The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) was put in place to help address significant condition needs to keep buildings safe and in good working order. This article in Schools Week suggests that the funding is allocated in favour of schools/trusts who can provide a bigger share of the cost themeselves, but DfE insists applicants ‘not prioritised’ … Continue reading CIF funding – is the allocation fair?
‘Nearly all’ schools rely on donations for classroom essentials
A new poll of its members by NAHT has found that only 1 per cent of school leaders say they get enough funding to meet all their pupils’ needs. A TES article notes that nearly all school leaders (95 per cent) in England have had to generate additional income through other sources - like charity … Continue reading ‘Nearly all’ schools rely on donations for classroom essentials
School funding model: Effect of falling school rolls
This sobering new report from the Education Policy Institute finds that: Total pupil numbers in state-funded primary and secondary schools are projected to fall from a peak of 7.57 million in 2022-23, and then decrease at an average rate of 1.0 per cent each year until they reach 7.14 million in 2028-29. This means that … Continue reading School funding model: Effect of falling school rolls
Financial distress in local authorities – impact on SEND
In its report "Financial distress in local authorities" published today (1st February 2024) the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee comments in detail on the current funding issues in local authorities. This includes a chapter on SEND, in which it notes: The amount of funding provided by the Department for Education has not kept pace … Continue reading Financial distress in local authorities – impact on SEND
Education: the fundamentals – Eleven facts about the education system in England
In December 2023 the Education Policy Institute published a report summarising the current status and some future trends for education in England. They identified eleven facts, as follows: Fact 1: England performs well against international comparators. Fact 2: Around 40 per cent of the disadvantage gap at age 16 is already evident by age 5 … Continue reading Education: the fundamentals – Eleven facts about the education system in England
Performance Tracker 2023: Schools
The Institute for Government's 2023 Performance Tracker outlines some of the key trends in mainstream education last year, and points to some issues for the future. Some of the key points are: Pupil numbers have peaked since the end of the last "baby boom" in 2013, so in genetral schools will see falling rolls in … Continue reading Performance Tracker 2023: Schools
ParentKind Survey report 2023
Folling from the November Parental Engagement Report 2023 (reported on this site) the National Parent Survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Parentkind has just been published. You can download the report using the link below, and some of the main findings include: Over 2.8 million children live in households where their parents are struggling … Continue reading ParentKind Survey report 2023
Autumn Budget 2023
The Autumn 2023 budget announcement (22 November 2023) was notable for the absence of any additional funding for schools. NGA's NGA’s co-chief executive, Emma Knights, stated that: Again, we find ourselves expressing profound disappointment that the Chancellor has not made additional investments in England's schools today. The Prime Minister has promised us all a world-class education … Continue reading Autumn Budget 2023
The DfE’s NFF funding calculation error
Both Local Authorities and MATs support their schools’ budget planning by providing projections beyond the current academic year and for at least the following two financial years, as required by the government. The mistakes made by the DfE are to do with the projections they have provided to relevant bodies, such as Derbyshire County Council, … Continue reading The DfE’s NFF funding calculation error
Is new government funding enough for schools?
New analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that although there is substantial extra funding for schools budgeted for the next few years, it is not enough to close the gap in the true costs experienced by schools. Luke Sibieta, Research Fellow at the IFS, published an article showing that Schools funding in … Continue reading Is new government funding enough for schools?
dsga.org.uk 