Earlier this month, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were accused of empty “sugar-rush policymaking” on education, as they titillated Tory members by promising a wave of new grammar schools in England. “It grabs a headline but has no real substance,” said Sir Chris Husbands, one of the country’s leading education experts. Meanwhile, out in the real world, headteachers whose schools are still recovering from the damage wrought by Covid are racking their brains over how to finance the coming school year.
Unless significant new money is found, spiralling energy costs – which are not covered by the cap on household bills – threaten to tip many budgets over the edge. As the Guardian reports this week, many schools in England face rises of 200% or more, and the cost of heating and lighting classrooms is predicted to soar further as the winter goes on. Combined with the impact of food price rises and general inflation, and the decision by the Department of Education to award unfunded pay rises to teachers (still well below inflation), this means schools face a perfect financial storm. One London head reports that the pay rises alone will mean a £150,000 budget shortfall, even before energy costs are taken into consideration.
