Political parties should commit to keeping school funding at the same level despite falling rolls, and use the headroom to boost per-pupil funding and money for disadvantaged children, ASCL’s leader will say today.
In his final address to the union’s annual conference before stepping down in April, Geoff Barton said such a policy “would make a world of difference to children and young people, and particularly those from disadvantaged homes”.
Pupil numbers are expected to fall by around 10 per cent over the next decade, as a population bulge caused by the 2000s baby boom makes its way into adulthood.
Falling primary numbers are already forcing councils, particularly in London, to plan mergers and closures, because emergency cash for falling rolls is available only if schools can demonstrate that demand will increase again.
