More than half (53%) of school leaders in Wales are predicting a budget deficit this academic year amid a financial crisis which is forcing severe cutbacks for staff and teachers.

This comes after school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru surveyed its members on funding.

Findings revealed that more than a quarter (27%) said they were predicting a deficit for the first time ever in 2024/25. Every single one said they did not receive sufficient funding to meet the needs of all their pupils fully.

 

 

 

 

ClassroomClassroom (Image: NQ)

 

 

The Report- ‘Falling Short: The Deepening School Funding Crisis in Wales’ also highlighted that more than a quarter (28%) are reducing the number or hours of teachers, nearly six in ten (59%) are leaving posts empty, and 55% are reducing teaching assistant hours.

In comparison to 2021, school leaders are now twice as likely to be taking these measures.

Chris Parry, president of NAHT Cymru said:

“These findings should serve as a wake-up call for the Welsh Government about the need for immediate action. The funding crisis threatens the quality of education, and without a clear, strategic response, schools will be unable to provide the support that pupils and staff need. A long-term solution is essential.”

Other cuts include delaying repairs, refurbishment, or general capital spending (45% of school leaders), reducing non-educational support and services for children – such as educational psychologists, behaviour support, social workers, and school liaison officers (29%), reducing or changing the curriculum offer (15%) and not investing in staff professional development and training (52%). 

Laura Doel, national secretary of NAHT Cymru, said:

“School leaders simply cannot go on doing more with less. They didn’t sign up to this job to set deficit budgets, cut spending on pupils and lay off teachers and support staff. In the three years since our last survey, the change for the worse is alarming.

 We were shocked that school funding didn’t feature in the first minister’s priority list when she set out her plans for government earlier this week.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, added: “It is simple not sustainable and is putting educational outcomes at risk - not just for disadvantaged pupils who need the most help, but across the board. Something has to give.”

 

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The amount of funding set aside for school budgets, including funding for school staff,  is for local authorities to determine, we do not fund schools directly.

 “We have increased local government funding and re-prioritised the Education budget so we can protect school funding as much as possible, spending more in areas under the greatest pressure.”

More information about the report can be found here.