English primary schools cutting teacher numbers amid budget pressure, survey finds

The survey found many schools were using pupil premiums – extra funding for each child eligible for free school meals – to plug budget gaps. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Primary schools across England are having to shed staff and cancel trips and activities this year as rising inflation and falling pupil numbers cause a rapid deterioration in their finances.

A survey of more than 1,000 school leaders and teachers by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that three-quarters said their primary schools were cutting teaching assistant roles, while a third were also cutting teacher numbers.