The current school funding system is out-of-date and unfair – and for years the government has promised to fix it. But designing a funding formula that satisfies all schools is a challenge. And, given that there’s very little extra cash being promised for schools, it’s expected reforms will simply shift money away from London and the cities towards rural areas.
What do education experts say the government should recognise when designing a new funding system?
David Dunn, headteacher at Pedmore primary school, West Midlands
There needs to be something to make sure smaller schools aren’t having to face budget cuts year-on-year just because they are small. Previously small schools got a grant, which meant there was a little top up. But that’s gone. And my concern is that schools might be forced to join multi-academy trusts (Mats), purely because they can’t afford to keep going as they are.
We are a relatively small, full, school and a lot of funding is based on pupil numbers – bums on seats, if you like. Because we don’t have high numbers of children and we’re not in an area that suffers from high social deprivation, we attract very little extra funding.
Keziah Featherstone, headteacher at Bridge Learning Campus, Bristol
What we need is to make things fairer, and ironically, the new formula won’t do that because there’s no extra money. So it’s going to take away from my kids, who are already deprived.
Rural areas often don’t have the same issues we have in some cities, or have them in the same magnitude. I’m not saying there aren’t mental health issues, or deprivation, everywhere. But it’s really condensed where I am, so we need the money we get. And I know what I’m talking about – I’ve worked in authorities that don’t get enough support. I once had a classroom in a portacabin which had ivy growing up the electrical cable to the lightswitch, so I had to turn it on with a rubber, just in case the whole thing went. I know how bad it is.
You don’t have to be Robin Hood and steal from the supposed rich to give to the poor. I’m already having to cut things and a new formula is going to absolutely wipe out my finances.
Martin Moorman, headteacher of Ravenscliffe special school in Halifax, says:
I’m head of a small special school and times are really tough. We’re being asked to run ever more complex organisations, with ever increasing expectations, with what seems to be ever diminishing financial resources.
We should only have 69 kids in our school with the space we’ve got, but we had 167 start this September. Our classrooms are overcrowded and not fit for purpose, due to lack of funding. Some of our students have physical disabilities and use wheelchairs and others have challenging behaviour. So they require space, which we don’t have.
We’ve got to manage the day-to-day business of running an unfit-for-purpose school, with all the health and safety challenges that creates, as well as giving our kids the best outcomes. It still feels like we’re sticking plasters over some of the big issues and we’re feeling the pinch.
Annie Gammon, headteacher at Stoke Newington school, in Hackney, London, which is one of the best funded areas in the country, says:
I want the new school funding formula to maintain the level of funding that we currently get, including the additional amounts that cover London salary costs, which is really important. Some of our students need additional support, for instance students who have English as a second language, or who are disadvantaged. Helping them takes money. So I’m looking for a formula that covers that.
Any sudden or unexpected change would also be really difficult. If we know that our funding is going to be stable for the next five years then we can plan. But if something suddenly changes, and people’s jobs are affected, then that has a real impact on morale.
So I’m happy the new secretary of state has said there’ll be no change next year. I recognise there are other local authorities across the country who are less well funded and we’d like to see the amount they get increased – but not at the expense of other areas.
David Hermitt, chief executive of Congleton multi-academy trust and chair of the Cheshire East schools’ forum, says:
The current formula is unfair and I’m frustrated about the delays in changing it. Too many schools have suffered from less funding per head for no logical reason for too long.
In rural Cheshire East, where I work, and which is one of the most poorly funded areas of England, we have had to increase class sizes, increase the contact time for teachers and reduce the amount spent on books and computers, just so that we can remain within budget. In other schools in the area, headteachers and governors have had to make drastic cuts and job losses. We were told that the government would support the poorest funded local authorities until the new formula is put in place. I want to know if that will still happen.
Daniel Moynihan, chief executive of Harris Federation, which has schools in London, says:
Some sort of cushioning over time while a new formula is implemented would be really, really useful. Ideally there’d be a transition period, maybe five years or more, where there’s absolute clarity given in advance as to how costs will move. And then schools can plan for it. That would be the single biggest thing governments can do to help.
But the real question is, will any government be brave enough to actually implement a new funding formula? Because, although the current system is unfair, the people crying out about that unfairness are not as loud as those that will be when there’s a new set of winners and losers. So it will take a brave administration to introduce it.
David Ellis, headteacher at York high school, north Yorkshire
I want it to be implemented quickly. The sooner the better. We’ve been promised it for years – I’ve been a headteacher for just over a decade and for most of that time we’ve been promised fairer distribution of funding. So get on with it because we need it. I’m not saying throwing money at a school solves all of its problems, because it’s not as simple as that. But my God it helps.
