What the Autumn Statement really means for schools and colleges

Even by the standards of a government whose default response to funding and staff shortages in education is to stick its fingers in its ears, Wednesday’s Autumn Statement was particularly disappointing.
 
The speech itself mentioned little more than some funding to support apprenticeships and help for schemes to tackle antisemitism. In the accompanying document there’s mention of a programme to support neurodiverse children in primary schools.
 
There was nothing about the wider crisis in SEND funding, how schools and colleges are going to afford future pay awards which are even vaguely meaningful, and the fact that the school estate is literally falling apart.
 
And, in fact, the picture is even more bleak than it at first seems. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies concludes that government departmental spending overall will be squeezed by inflation over the next few years.