Britain’s leading economic thinktank has warned the government of the dangers of cutting education spending on students in sixth forms and further education colleges, after new analysis showed recent additional investment being all but eroded by inflation and growing student numbers.
As the Treasury attempts to balance the budget, government departments are on standby to identify spending cuts, but the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said any attempt to reduce spending in the 16-18 sector would “sit uncomfortably” with the government’s stated commitment to focus on skills and economic growth.
Spending on school sixth forms in England fell by 28% in real terms in the decade leading up to 2019-20, and by 14% in further education (FE) – a trend the government began to reverse in recent spending reviews, committing an additional £2.3bn by 2024-25 compared with 2019-20 in cash terms.
