LOCAL MP Rachel Gilmour this week called for the Government to improve on its ‘bleak’ State education spending commitments for the upcoming financial year.
Mrs Gilmour was briefed in Parliament by the Stop School Cuts campaign run by the National Education Union, the largest education union in Europe.
She heard that next year, mainstream core school funding will be the lowest it has been in real terms since 2010, with 70 per cent of schools across the country, 13,144 of them, having less money in real terms than they did 15 years ago.
Only three per cent of primary schools, and six per cent of secondary schools felt financially secure in the current economic climate.
One in seven schools were in deficit, and in a recent survey of school governors, more than 70 per cent either said their school was financially unsustainable without major economic changes, or they could only balance their budget by running a deficit or drawing on reserves.
Mrs Gilmour was told as a consequence of the ‘real-terms cuts’ to school budgets, 76 per cent of primary schools and 94 per cent of secondary schools would have to reduce spending elsewhere to fund a ‘much-deserved and long-awaited’ pay award.
In some areas, schools had previously cut whole subjects to save money, which was blamed for a more than 40 per cent drop in the number of GCSE and A Level arts subject entries from 2010 to 2023.
By March, 2026, there would also be a projected £5 billion deficit in special education needs and disabilities (SEND) provision across the country.
Mrs Gilmour said it was shocking to hear statistics on the retention of teachers in the State sector, with one in four leaving the profession by the end of their third year after qualifying, and a third leaving after five years.
Pay freezes and less than inflation pay rises were blamed for the sector not recruiting or retaining enough teachers, which was being experienced in classrooms across the country.
Mrs Gilmour, who represents the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, which covers West Somerset and parts of the Culm Valley and parishes neighbouring Wellington, said: “The picture for school funding in 2025-26 looks bleak.
“I will be pushing the Labour Government to allocate a further £1.6 billion to meet the National Audit Office’s forecast central estimate of high needs costs.
“I will continue to demand the extra £2.2 billion needed to improve school buildings across the country.
“I will also be pressing the Government to put an additional £1.2 billion to allow real term growth in spending per pupil, and a step towards teacher pay restoration.
“Our teachers work incredibly hard, but current commitments from the Government do not match their aspiration for our young people.
“I am determined that school and pupil funding is a top priority for this Government, so all young people across the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, and the UK, can consistently receive a high-quality education.”