UK schools face 'death by a thousand cuts' after a leading economic think tank said rising costs are likely to outstrip funding next year despite a recent injection of extra funding Principals said they were doing so.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) says that without further ambitious investment in education by the government, England's already depleted schools will be further cut, with fewer pastoral support and curriculum options and fewer However, he said class sizes could expand.
Headteachers' intervention follows a report published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on Wednesday, which found that a 2.8% growth (in cash terms) in mainstream school funding in 2025-2026 It is estimated that the expected growth rate of 3.6% will not be achieved. The cost will come primarily from promised teacher pay raises.
Julie McCulloch, policy director at ASCL, said: “This report highlights the reality that many schools and colleges face further cuts.” “Inevitably, there will be further reductions in pastoral support, curriculum options and classroom resources, and in many cases, class sizes may increase.
“Schools and universities have been expected to absorb unrelenting financial pressure over the past 15 years and have done a great job of minimizing the impact on students. But this cannot continue. That is death by a thousand cuts. The government needs to recognize the importance of improving investment in education.”
In its annual report on education spending in England, the IFS says total school spending in England has increased by around £8 billion over the past five years, reversing previous cuts and reducing school spending per pupil by 11% in real terms. He said that there has been an increase.
However, more than half of this has been absorbed by planned spending on high needs, which is expected to rise by £2.3 billion over the next two years, with potential savings from the government's projected 2% reduction in pupil numbers. far exceeds. I hoped.
Luke Sibieta, an IFS researcher and one of the report's authors, said the government's upcoming spending review would include difficult choices about England's education funding. “With public finances so tight, most sectors, including education, will likely need to save, and figuring out exactly where and how to do that is easier said than done. ”
Historically, universities and sixth form students have been particularly hard hit and continue to be hit despite recent increases in funding. It says university funding per student aged 16 to 18 in 2025 will still be around 11% below 2010 levels, and will fall by around 23% for sixth forms in schools.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT School Leaders' Union, said some schools were already facing major difficulties in coming up with budgets and had already made significant cuts to their operations. He said he was concerned about future developments.
Mr Whiteman said: “The Spending Review will need to ensure that schools avoid further unpleasant decisions, such as redundancies and cuts to curriculum resources, that make it difficult for schools to provide children with a first-class education. It is vital that it is recognized and addressed.”
IFS also said UK students are likely to face further tuition fee increases as universities struggle to keep up with rising staff costs, while income continues to fall due to a decline in international recruitment. said. Unlike schools and universities, universities will not receive compensation for the rise in employer national insurance contributions announced in last year's budget.
To ease pressure on the sector, the government announced in November that it would increase tuition fees in line with inflation for the first time in eight years, taking annual tuition fees up to £9,535. The IFS said this was a “temporary reprieve for university finances, with further tuition fee increases likely”.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “One of the missions of our transformation plan is to give children the best start in life. This builds on the measures set out in the Budget. will increase school funding to around £63.9bn in the 2025-26 financial year, including £1bn for high-needs children and young people.
“We are determined to restore the foundations of our inherited education system and work with schools and local authorities to create an equitable way to direct public funding where it is needed to support children’s growth and development. We intend to secure an education funding system.”
