Funding cuts in North East schools could result in over 3,200 teachers being lost Schools in the North East are set to lose an estimated £119 million in funding by 2020, under current government policies. The plans, which will see school budgets reallocated according to a new national funding formula, will amount to average cuts of £379 per pupil across the region. According to data collated by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers & Lecturers (ATL), the estimated cuts could equate to 3,203 teachers being lost across the North East alone.
Unless the government allocates additional funding, schools and academies across the UK will lose £3 billion a year in real terms by 2020, and an astounding 98% of schools will experience a per-pupil funding cut. The prolific nature of such cuts are likely to lead to increased class sizes, and worryingly, amount to a significant loss of teaching staff. Baljinder Kuller, Managing Director of The Supply Register, commented; “The potential impact of the planned Government funding cuts is certainly cause for concern, especially considering that schools across the North East are already struggling to manage with diminished budgets. The scale of these real term cuts may lead to schools and academies becoming ever more dependent on supply teachers, which, when obtained from unscrupulous agencies, can be associated with significant additional costs.”
“Many schools rely on supply teachers to ensure that the standard of pupils’ education is not negatively impacted by a shortage of full time teachers, and recruitment agencies play a vital role in this supply chain. However, unless schools partner with a specialist agency they leave themselves vulnerable to the inefficient procurement methods associated with unethical agencies.” “The loss of an additional £379 per pupil by 2020 will no doubt add additional strain to schools who are already grappling with shrinking budgets to ensure that the education of their students is not compromised by a lack of funding. It is clear that if the profession fails to address the recruitment crisis now and find innovative ways to procure vital supply staff, this problem will only worsen.”
