Funding crisis hits school vacancies
Around 3,500 teaching jobs have been lost due to the funding crisis in schools, with larger class sizes the likely result, according to a new survey.
The survey by the Secondary Heads’ Association (SHA) and the Times Educational Supplement (TES) found that the number of teacher vacancies has nearly halved as schools struggle to make up budget deficits – and abolish empty posts altogether.
The SHA warned that the number of number of jobs lost, rather than the number of redundancies, represented the true extent of the damage caused by the funding problems. The SHA’s General Secretary Dr John Dunford, warned that the falling number of teacher posts at schools with rising pupil numbers would inevitably lead to larger class sizes.
Dr Dunford stated, ‘This survey represents the clearest indication yet of the extent of this year’s school funding crisis. There is widespread concern among school leaders about the funding situation in their schools. Reserves and capital funds can only be plundered once to support the revenue budget and the Government must ensure that adequate funds are provided in the next two years to repair the damage to state education caused by lost teacher posts and reduced spending in critical areas.’
Of the 480 schools in England and Wales surveyed, 37% said they were employing fewer teachers this year, with 40% employing more teachers.
Dr Dunford added, ‘The 37% of schools employing fewer teachers provides an estimate of the number of schools worst affected by the funding crisis. Many other schools report that they have done everything to avoid job losses by increasing class size, and by cutting the curriculum, the purchase of books and equipment, staff training and the building programme. Many schools report that they have used reserves and capital funds to bolster this year’s budget – they cannot do this again next year.’
The survey revealed that 730 teachers and support staff have been made redundant whilst 2,729 teachers and 1,152 support staff had not been replaced after leaving this year.
The job losses have been blamed on the funding shortage which teachers and schools claim were caused by the changes to the way education is funded, higher teacher salaries and increased staff pension costs.
Doug McAvoy of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said the survey showed complacency within the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) towards the funding crisis.
Mr McAvoy commented, ‘The findings of the survey are an indictment of the DFES’s complacency in front of the schools’ funding crisis. The DFES got it sums wrong in providing for the costs facing schools this September yet it refuses to restore to schools the additional money they need.’
‘The net result of the DFES’s failure is the culling of teaching posts; a direct contradiction of DFES assurances that teacher numbers would rise by 10,000.’
Conservative Shadow Education Secretary, Damian Green accused Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, of trying to shift the blame for the funding crisis onto local authorities and schools for months.
Mr Green stated, ‘Parents and teachers have a right to be angry, thousands of children will face the new school year with fewer teachers and support staff than before. The Government has simply broken its promise that extra money would get to the schools, where it would make a real difference to standards.’
