Head teachers forced to make cuts, survey suggests

The National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) ‘Breaking Point’ survey questioned 1,069 school leaders, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they were forced to reduce investment in equipment, 50 per cent saying they had to cut back on essential maintenance and 49 per cent saying they have had to cut back on working hours of teaching assistants.

According to the survey, seven per cent of schools are already running a deficit and 67 per cent thought that they would be unable to balance the books in four years time. 82 per cent of respondents also believe that budget cuts will have a negative impact on standards.

Russell Hobby, NAHT general secretary, said: “Flat cash education spending at a time of rising costs is pushing many schools closer to breaking point. Employer costs for national insurance and teachers’ pensions will increase by over five per cent from this school year, adding to already over-stretched budgets. School leaders are being forced to cut spending in all areas, including essential maintenance (50 per cent) and – most worryingly – on teachers and teaching assistants (49 per cent).

“The money coming into schools is not keeping up with the expenditure they face. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies pointed out recently, the government's funding commitment equates to the first real terms cut in education spending since the 1990s. Education is an investment in the future, leading eventually to higher productivity, better social outcomes and reduced spending on other public services; cuts to this budget are a false economy.”

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