With a new Prime Minister being elected and children around the country returning to schools, a group of school leaders have a simple message for Liz Truss/ Rishi Sunak about the financial crisis now facing education. Pay rises need to be funded and significant support is needed to meet the escalating utilities costs. We simply will not be able to run our schools without this mess being sorted out by the Government and they need to do it quickly! Schools of all kinds around the country are facing the same, impossible challenge. Here members from the Headteachers’ Roundtable talk about their own schools and contexts.