Education in England is in danger of being reduced to a “barebones, boilerplate model”, headteachers have said, after an embarrassing £370m government bungle forced them to plan for further cuts.
Some heads are looking at cutting teaching assistants (TAs), who often work with children with special educational needs (SEN). Others are considering delaying infrastructure projects and reducing pupils’ enrichment activities in order to balance their books.
“The impact of not just this error, but other funding shortfalls and cuts is that education is in danger of becoming reduced to a barebones boilerplate model or basic schooling,” said one Essex headteacher, James Saunders, whose school will receive £50,000 less than anticipated.
Read the full article in the Guardian here.
Hostility between parents and schools has grown since Covid, says Ofsted head
The “unwritten agreement” between parents and schools in England has broken since the Covid crisis, according to Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, with pupil absences remaining
Almost one-third of council funding spent on children’s social care amid surge in referrals
Almost one-third of council funding is being spent on children’s social care, new analysis has revealed; with rising need putting local authorities at risk of filing for bankruptcy. Thousands
Thousands of 16 and 17-year-old children were homeless in England last year – and ‘treated like adults’
All children deserve a safe and loving home. But far too many are “treated like adults” under the current system, the children’s commissioner has warned
