26 March 2025, 11:56

By Julia Harden

Many schools and colleges are already in a very difficult financial position following years of underinvestment from successive governments.

In a recent report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) revealed that education spending fell as a share of national income from 5.6% in 2010/11 to 4.1% in 2023/24.

Despite the pressures that schools have faced during this time, there are few signs that things are going to improve.

The government has proposed a 2.8 per cent teacher pay rise for 2025-26, which most schools cannot afford and which the Department for Education acknowledges will entail them having to make further ‘efficiencies’. Salary negotiations for support staff are underway and, once agreement is reached, will be effective from 1........

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